Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Vampire?
by music.movies.heart
Summary: Fionna was always taught to fear vampires, but when she meets one he seems surprisingly human. She sees just how wrong she is, but can she show everyone else? On top of that can she stop the Ice Queen and the other villains of Ooo? Gore and language
1. I'll Do It

_MMH: edited 10/14/14. I have a tendency to be very neurotic when it comes to my writing so I'll most likely go through all of the chapters and edit them. Mostly I'll be adding detail and correcting errors. Please rate and review!_

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><p>I walked up to the Candy Kingdom with Cake at my side. "Why are we going to see Gumball again?" my kitty companion asked me. I hadn't seen him for a while, but Prince Gumball and I were still good friends. I had saved him countless times before from the Ice Queen. We became friends because I simply saved his ass so often. He was smart, and funny, and nice, but totally oblivious when it came to romance. My romance. I had a major crush on him since I met him, but he still remained totally imperceptive.<p>

"Prince Gumball called upon me because he needed me. Those were his exact words. 'I need you Fionna'." I blushed at what he might have meant by 'needing me', but then felt silly for letting my imagination run wild.

"Ooh, girl. You've got it bad." Cake looked up at me from my side as we entered the gates. My cat (**_and_** sister) knew I how I felt all the time about almost everything. I had told her of my feelings for Gumball about a week ago, but she insisted that she knew of my feelings when I first saved him.

The candy citizens were running about excited for one reason or another. Some were worried about not providing food for their gummy children. Some were just glad their houses didn't crumble from the last knife storm. Trails of sugar and dried icing of various colors littered the road to the castle.

"I do not! I'm just his pal, remember?" My heart sank to think that Gumball was too focused on his schiencey-stuff to even consider me as something more than a girl who was just a friend. A girl who was a friend who rescued him from time to time. "Stupid girl feelings, making me do anything for Prince Gumball. I'm so dumb. To him, I'm just his… chum." I mumbled. I'm pretty sure Cake heard me with her freakishly sensitive ears, but she didn't say anything. Cake and I approached the castle and the gingerbread drawbridge opened, letting us in. I hurried into PG's lab and saw him pour a green liquid into a beaker and then a puff of smoke billowed out.

"Why, hello Fionna!" Gumball greeted me cheerily once the smoke cleared. A grin appeared on my face and I said hello. For some reason, he always made me smile when he was around. He walked up to me, his face inches from mine, and said in his sweetest, most sultry voice, "I need to deliver some…" My mind was racing with possibilities of what he would want me to deliver.

_Some roses to my house? _

_Some chocolates for us to eat? _

_Our children? _

"…tarts." _Tarts?_

"Oh… sure." I tried to not sound disappointed and I only half succeeded. I swear Gumball uses my crush as an excuse to make me do whatever he wants. I bared a smile as well as I could. "Who, why, and where?"

"My grandmother, she's sick, and in Sucrose Pastures; right on the other side of the Evil Forest." Gumball smiled handing me the tarts in a clear, bulky anti-gravity tote chamber. "I would ask the Royal Tart Toter, but she's gone sort of nuts… and not in the edible way." I smiled at his joke, but my lips quickly fell into a concerned frown. The last time I was in the Evil Forest, I kind of **_lost_** an elderly elephant called Tree Trunks. It's kind of a long story. _I'll need to rescue him eventually…_ I wanted to decline, but it's not like I could back out now. I had already agreed. I would just have to buck up.

"As you wish, Your Highness!" I saluted jokingly. We both grinned and a silence fell between us until we heard a little cough. I turned and looked down at my feline friend.

"Fionna? I hope you don't mind but, can I stay here? You know, hold down the fort?" Cake asked. I was taken aback by her sudden fear. She was my best bud, my right hand man; what on glob's green earth had her in such a fright enough to not accompany me?

"What?! We've gone through the forest dozens of times."

"Yeah, but it's going to get dark soon and… vampires come out at night." I bit my lip. Vampires were a thing to be concerned about, but they were hardly something to run in **_fear _**of. Of course, Cake always did have an irrational/rational fear of vampires. It's irrational because we've faced far worse and it's rational because, well they're vampires.

"Can't we just deliver the tarts tomorrow?" I turned and asked PG. He had a grim look on his face, which didn't equal well for me. I knew his answer before it came from his lips.

"Nope. She's really sick and these tarts have the cure. I'm worried that time is of the essence." I paused for a moment to think, but it was sort of stupid because I had only one option.

"Okay. I'll do it."

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><p>"I can't believe I've been reduced to a delivery girl." I grumbled. It was dark, cold, and I was only a couple minutes into my two hour journey. In all honesty I wasn't annoyed that I was just delivering some tarts. In fact, helping people is what I was born to do. No matter how small the task. I was annoyed at myself for letting Gumball get to me.<p>

I had the perfect opportunity back at the castle. Cake was inside flirting with Lord Monochromicorn and it was just me and PG. He gave me a red cloak because it was getting cool so I pulled it on. The lining was a smooth silk and the felt outside brushed against my skin.

"I made it just for you." He said as brushed the hair from my face that had escaped from my hat. We were gazing into each other's eyes, but I chickened out. For being a hero, I'm kind of a coward… When it comes to certain things, of course.

All of the trees were bare, but the forest was still ridiculously hard to see through. Shadows moved about forming shapes of monsters, villains, and other kinds of ruffians. I know I'm an adventurer and all, but walking through a dark, spooky forest all by yourself is scary no matter who you are or even if you do have a giant sword with you. The anti-gravity tote chamber, or as I like to call it the clunky metal thing that jabbed into my back, was where my adventurer-pack would have been which left me holding my sword in my right hand. Both items were getting kind of heavy.

"Hmm, I wonder if I can take a break?" I thought aloud. I wouldn't take that long, only long enough for me get my strength back. Plus, that all-nighter I had pulled with Cake the night before left me really exhausted. I shook my head, trying to shake off the sleep. "No! Time is of the essence! Gumball wouldn't have said that if he didn't mean it! The sooner I finish this, the sooner I can go home and sleep," I said.

"Humans sure are weird. Talking to themselves. Well, I suppose I should say 'herself' since you are the last human. No point in trying to make a population seem larger than it actually is…" a smooth voice whispered around me. I looked around but saw no one. A cool shiver ran down my spine. _Vampire. _My heart raced and I tried to remain calm, but sort of failed miserably.

"Hey! Who's there?" I asked as fiercely as I could muster, though a slight quiver remained in my voice. I held my sword clenched in both hands spinning around chaotically in a circle. My vision blurred and my head grew dizzy.

"Red looks very exquisite on you. I could just eat you up." A chuckle came at me from all angles and I began to panic. Why was I being so afraid? I had no reason to be afraid.

I wasn't afraid.

I wasn't.

**_Really. _**

I shook my head and took a deep breath then repeated my question in a much braver tone than before. "Who's there?"

A hand wrapped around my ankle and pulled me into the air causing my sword to fall from my hand with a heavy clunk. The tart chamber slid off my arms and hit the ground hard, but luckily it didn't break. I tried to keep track of it, but I was jerked into looking straight ahead. I then found myself face to upside-down face with one of the most attractive boys I've ever met. Well thinking about it now, the only two human-like people I've ever met were Gumball and the person that was in front of me.

"The name's Marshall Lee, the Vampire King." His hair was shaggy and pitch black, which blended into the night sky. His skin had a faint blue-ish tint to it and his fangs poked out of his incredible smile. "Now tell me, what's a little girl like you doing all by yourself in the Evil Forest?" I flailed my leg that he was holding and he reluctantly let go. I quickly flipped so I landed on my feet.

"I am not a little girl." I said as I got a hold of my sword and pointed it at his floating figure.

"You're younger than me." He smirked and folded his arms.

"Yeah, well you're a vampire. Vampires are old." Marshall laughed at my remark as his feet touched the ground. He was still a couple yards away so I wasn't too nervous, but stood my ground all the same.

"Is that all we are? I thought we were dashing, smart, beautiful…"

"…conceited, evil, monstrous." His grin faltered and I smirked. I was not going to let this vampire get the best of me.

"You know, not all vampires are bad."

"Oh really? Last time I checked vampires were blood-sucking murderers."

"You should be careful about what you say around me." I knew I should have backed off, but Cake taught me to never go easy on vampires. 'You have to be unforgiving to those things because they'll tear you apart without a second thought.' That's what she always said when there was talk of vampires.

"Oh really?" I continued. "Vampires are just old, heartless, dead things. They don't feel anything but hunger for power and blood. You're just some worthless mosquito that needs to be squashed." Marshall scowled at me for a moment, but then smirked and disappeared behind some bushes. I circled around to make sure he wasn't going to do a surprise attack. What he said next made my heart plop down into my butt.

"Hmmm, 'Urgent: To Grandma Gumdrop. Deliver to Sucrose Pastures ASAP'. That sure sounds serious." He appeared above me out of thin air with the anti-gravity tote chamber loosely held in his hand. He saw the look of horror on my face and grew and evil grin.

"Give it back! I have to give them to her or she'll die!"

"Why would I care? I'm just an old, heartless, dead thing, like you said remember? After all, a frigid bitch like you would know, right?"

"I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

"For some reason I don't believe you." Marshall said coldly and began to leave with the chamber still in his hand.

"No! Stop. Please!" I screamed, tears forming in my eyes. I had to do something. I threw my sword at him, but it only cut his arm instead of stabbing like I wanted. My sword fell and this time landed with a loud clank. It had probably hit a rock or a branch.

"OW! That fucking hurt you BITCH! You're definitely not getting these back now." Marshall began to float into the sky, far from my reach. I cried and begged for him to come back, but he was already miles away, the tarts and all hope with him.


	2. Pity Parties and Some Serious Thanking

_MMH: edited 10/14/14._

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><p>I was lying in bed, absolutely miserable, for the third day in a row. I went home the moment Marshall had flown away and crawled into bed without saying a word to Cake. I hadn't changed, I hadn't showered, I hadn't even bothered to look for my sword that I had dropped that night. That certainly said something; I loved my sword. It was the first real weapon I ever got and now it was probably gone forever, lost in the depths and shrubbery of the woods. What was the point? I had inadvertently murdered an old lady. How was I supposed to call myself an adventurer when I carelessly killed an innocent person? I wasn't, that's how. I had no purpose to live anymore. I had failed.<p>

"Babydoll? You okay?" Cake poked her head in from the door to look at my lumpy figure underneath the pile of fur blankets. I knew she felt awful because she wasn't there to help me fight the bad guy, but I didn't blame her. I only blamed myself for letting the tarts out of my sight.

"No." was my muffled response. "A fucking vampire stole the tarts, Cake. I smited an old lady. How am I supposed to tell Gumball I killed his grandmother? I'm not an adventurer. Adventurers don't kill old ladies. I'm just nothing." The guilt was killing me. Adventurers were good and good people do everything they can to prevent the death of innocent people. I felt her paw rub my head and purred at me.

"Oh honey, smited isn't a word," she said. I lifted up my head and frowned at her in discontent.

"Fine, but I'm still nothing."

"You're not nothing. You are Fionna, the greatest, bravest, non-old-lady-killingest adventurer I've ever met."

I sat up and let out a small smile. "Non-old-lady-killingest? And you judge me for using smited as a word?" Cake smiled and crawled into my lap. I rubbed her head and she purred while I continued to talk. "Seriously, what am I going to tell Gumball?"

"The truth. He knew the risk and he knew that it was dangerous to go alone. It isn't your fault. You tried your hardest and that's all you could have done."

I knew Cake was right, but I still felt like shit. I was about to continue my little pity-party when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Cake leapt out of my lap and ran to the door. I chuckled. Even though she was a cat, there were some times where she acted suspiciously like a dog. I heard a muffled conversation and then the door closed. Cake walked back in with the mail. "You'll be happy to know that the mailman asked if you were still single."

"Cake, he's a snail. That is disgusting."

"I know, but it's good to keep your options open. You have a letter." She tossed it in my direction and stuck out my tongue at her, but then grimaced when I saw the return address.

"Oh crap. It's from the Sucrose Pastures. It's probably a letter from the mayor saying I'm banished forever." I threw myself backwards and covered my face with my hands ashamed.

"Just open it." I did as Caked said and was surprised to find what was written.

**_Dear Fionna the Human,_**

**_ I am pleased to inform you that the tarts you delivered to me were just in time. I am now at full health and the doctors say I am twice as healthy as before! Though it was a tad odd that you delivered them in the middle of the night and no one was there when my butler opened the door, I suppose I cannot complain. My Gumball was right to trust you with such a burden. As thanks, I would like to invite you and a guest to a ball held in your honor on Saturday (at the Candy Kingdom since my humble abode doesn't suit youngsters such as yourself). _**

**_ Ta-ta,_**

**_ Duchess Gumdrop_**

I sat there in awe for what felt like hours with my jaw agape and a baffled look on my face. After a few minutes of impatient prodding, Cake pried the letter out of my hands and scanned it. She sat down on the floor and just stared at me. How could this be possible? Marshall Lee stole the tarts from me never to be seen again.

"Wait. What? How did… Who did…?" I asked dumb-founded. We both sat there confused until it dawned on me. "Marshall Lee." Cake looked up at me wide eyed.

"Girl, you better do some serious thanking." She was right. I nodded my head and quickly went to take a much needed shower. I hadn't bathed in a couple days and I couldn't bear to face Gumball all gross. Mind you, he was only a pit stop. I raced around the room, pulling on clothes and my trusty hat before running downstairs. I catapulted myself out the front door and sprinted to the castle.

Most of the guards didn't mind me running about since they knew I meant no harm. However, some of them never liked me all that much. I must have pulled one too many prank on the lot of them. I sprinted past them all and I heard a few shouts, but ignored them. No time. Before I knew it, I had busted through Gumball's bedroom door. I didn't notice he was still in bed in his pajamas till I was shuffling through his desk. Gumball rubbed his eyes and groaned something incoherently. It sounded sort of like a curse. I smiled at the thought; Gumball _never _cursed.

"PG, you have a huge list of where everyone lives in Ooo, right?" I tossed various papers onto the floor looking for the giant scroll that had the location of everyone at every time everywhere.

"Uh… yeah, it's necessary that a future king knows about his foes and allies… but why do you need it?" He asked, still half-asleep and confused as hell.

"I need to thank someone. Here it is!" I fished around for the scroll behind Gumball's desk and eventually pulled it out. It must have rolled back behind some time ago because it was covered in dust. "Aha! In a house in a cave in-between the Evil Forest and Sucrose Pastures! Mathematical! Thanks PG!" I squealed and, without thinking, tossed the heavy scroll onto Gumballs shins. He cried out in pain and tried to ask what was going on, but I was too busy running out to find the person I need to thank and apologize to.

"You're welcome!" he shouted out to me and I let out a bout of laughter as I continued my race to thank the mysterious vampire.


	3. The Prince is Giving a Ball

_MMH: edited 10/14/14. Please favorite and review!_

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><p>It took forever to find Marshall's cave. The cave entrance was hidden behind a wall of trees. It took me almost an hour to find the house and I probably never would have if I hadn't stopped to rest. Instead of feeling the firm bark of a tree, I found myself flat on my back looking up at the ceiling of a cave.<p>

I asked Cake if she wanted to come along, but she said going into a vampire's house is like walking into a lion's den. She was right. This could be suicide, but I had to try. I had to talk to him; let him know I didn't mean any of what I had said to him. I shivered, though I wasn't sure if it was because I was afraid or if it just was the cool temperature inside the cavern.

His house made me think of a country house, that is, if a country house were in a cave. A whitewashed porch wrapped around the house and a swing set hung from the rafters. It looked rather nice and homey despite its bizarre location. My heart ached when I thought of what I had said to him. Even though I was horrible to him, he did the right thing. He was a better adventurer than I was.

I walked up to the faded blue door and knocked. I waited a bit, but there was no answer. I knocked again, but the results were the same. Hesitantly, I turned the knob and, as if it were fate, it was unlocked. I cautiously entered knowing quite well that he could kill me in a nanosecond and I wouldn't know what would happen until it was too late.

"Hello? Marshall Lee?" There was a faint tune coming from upstairs and I followed, entranced by the melody. The charming bass thump resonated in my head and I was intoxicated by the sound. I closed my eyes and stood there just listening until I was pulled out of the stupor of Marshall Lee's strumming.

"You got a lot of balls coming in here unannounced," he said. I opened my eyes and saw that he was sitting on his couch facing away from me. I was startled by the fact that I had managed to walk to Marshall without thinking, but I shook it off. I was determined to set things right, no matter how difficult he intended to make it.

"The door was unlocked."

"The lock is broken."

"I knocked."

"And I ignored." I could tell he was about ready to rip my face off, but I had to clear my conscience. Plus, it's the good thing to do.

"How's your cut?" I asked. Marshall lifted up his armed to reveal a gash that looked like it was on the brink of becoming infected. "Do you want me to bandage it?"

"I'm fine. It's not like it'll kill me," he said bitterly. I paused before continuing to speak again.

"I got a letter from Prince Gumball's grandma thanking me for delivering the tarts, but you stole them." He remained silent and I wasn't sure if he was listening or ignoring me. "I was confused for a couple minutes but then a got it. You gave them to her didn't you?" Still nothing. "Duchess Gumdrop even said she thought I was weird for delivering them at night."

"The thing is I'm a vampire not a granny-murderer. Weird, huh?" Marshall was still turned away from me mindlessly strumming his bass.

"Well I just wanted thank you. It means a lot to me that you did that." I tried to step forward, but he felt my presence and tensed, so I moved back.

"You done?"

"Not quite. I'd like for you to come with me to a ball celebrating the Duchess' new lease on life."

"No," he said.

"No?"

"No."

"Why not?" I asked curiously.

In an instant Marshall Lee tossed his bass aside and had my back against the wall with his hand clutching my throat. He lifted me off the ground and my little hands scratched at his trying to free myself from his death grip.

"Because you make me sick," he hissed. "The sight of your chubby, round face makes me want to barf up a lung and then be thrown out into the sunlight. You think a simple thank you will make me feel better? Think again, Princess. You're only thanking me because you're afraid I'd terrorize you forever. All you humans act the same. You think groveling in fear and actually being kind to me are the same thing. You use words to worship us, and then use more words to stab us in the heart. Yes, I have a heart. It's old and withered, but still there."

He glared at me until my skin felt like it was on fire and then dropped me to the floor. I gasped for breath as he floated into his bathroom and slammed the door shut. Cautiously I stood and walked over.

I swallowed a few time, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry you think that I'm thanking you only because I fear you. The truth is, I'm not afraid. I'm in awe. I know you have a heart. I was awful and rude and callous, but you still were kind enough to save someone's life. I'm so sorry. I was wrong. Though you're the only one I've met, you have got to be the most kind-hearted vampire in all of Ooo, possibly existence. I don't deserve the pleasure of you joining me for the ball, but I won't invite anyone else. If you'd like to come, it's at the Candy Kingdom on Saturday at 10:00 sharp. You can dress up fancy if you'd like. Personally I hate to dress up, but it's for the Duchess." I paused and a heart-breaking silence filled the room.

He wasn't going to come out, much less to the ball, and there was no point fooling myself.

I left and went home.

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><p>Cake and I were getting ready for the ball and I must have tried on thousands of dresses because I hadn't found 'the right one'. Cake had found a large chest full of them in our treasure room. Any dress would have suited me just as well as any other, but my sister wanted me to look fabulous for Gumball and for the vampire who probably wasn't even going to show up. Cake, being a cat, had no issue finding an outfit and merely wore a pink ribbon around her neck. <em>Lucky.<em>

"Ooh girl, you look fabulous. This is definitely the dress," she said. I turned around and looked in the cracked floor length mirror in our room. I looked decent. I certainly would have been more comfortable in my normal outfit, but royal parties are all about fashion over function. The dress reminded me of this old anime that Cake found among the debris left over from the Great Mushroom War. It was mainly white, had poofy sleeves, and a little gold trim with a pink ribbon around the waist. Personally, it was all a bit too frilly for me, but it did look good.

"All right, let's go already." I sighed. We I arrived just as the ball was in full swing. Cake ran off to Lord Monochromicorn and I was left alone to awkwardly tell the marshmallow bouncer that my date simply hadn't arrived yet.

"Fionna. You look stunning," someone said. I whirled around and my hopeful expression slightly dropped, but I grinned when I saw who it was in place of who I expected.

"Thanks PG. Although I gotta admit, I feel sort of silly."

"Nonsense. Come along now, my grandmother wants to talk to you." Gumball grabbed my arm and dragged me along to meet the woman I sort of saved.

Duchess Gumdrop was old. Really old. Her faint pink skin was wrinkled and drooped off her face. Her white hair was frizzy, but she somehow managed to put it into a tight fitting bun. If this is what she looked like healthy, I hated to think of what she looked like when she was near death.

"Ah, Mistress Fionna. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too Your Highness." I had to be on my best behavior to impress the royalty that I had saved.

"I'm ever so thankful that you managed to deliver the tarts the same night that my grandson made them."

"Well ma'am, I can't take all the credit. I had a friend help me."

"Oh really?"

"Yup. His name's Marshall Lee." The whole room went quiet and I could have sworn I heard a pin drop. Had I said something wrong?

"Marshall Lee? The Vampire King?! My dear, you certainly are lucky to be alive," the duchess said. Prince Gumball grasped my hand and turned me towards him. His sweet, pink face was scrunched into a troubled frown.

"Fionna! Do you know how dangerous he is? He could have killed you!" I felt my face blush at Gumball's concern, but I was determined to set the record straight… well, straight-ish.

"No. Marshall Lee wouldn't have dreamed of hurting me." _That's a lie. _"He didn't even say anything bad to me at all." _That's a lie too._ "He actually knew I wasn't going to make it in time, so he offered to help." _Whoa, that's a big ol' lie._ Why was I lying to protect a guy who not only insulted me, but threatened me as well? The partygoers uncomfortably shifted their attention away from us and went back to the festivities.

"Well the only thing that matters is that you and I are alive." The Duchess smiled and then dismissed the two of us.

Gumball pulled me onto the dance floor and we began to dance. He was quite graceful, but I probably looked like I had a frog in my shorts (_which were hidden underneath my dress, thank Glob_). Despite me accidentally stepping on his feet half a dozen times, Gumball seemed over the moon just to be with me.

"Fionna?"

"Hmm?" My head had found its way on his shoulder and I was slowly drifting off to sleep. Gumball's voice was becoming far off, but I tried to stay awake with a goofy smile plastered on my face.

"I don't know what I would have done if you had been killed out in the forest. You're the greatest thing to have ever happened to me. Before I met you I was this shy, nerdy guy, but you showed me a whole new side of life I would have never dared to venture out to. You made me who I am today." If he had stopped there, I would have been perfectly content, but he continued. "You Fionna, are the greatest friend I'll ever have." My eyes snapped open and I felt like I was going to puke.

"That's so nice PG. Now if you'll excuse me I'd like to go outside for a minute." I managed to whisper. I curtseyed and quickly went outside to get some air in order to stop my head from exploding. My hands were shaking and my heart hurt. Not like in the way like when you eat too much candy, but in the way like when it's on fire. "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!" I screamed as loud as I could. My fist collided with the gingerbread wall and it left a huge crack. Cake once told me about this thing called "friend-zoning", but I thought it only happened to dudes. It sucked. Tears were streaming down my face and my head was rushing with so many thoughts. If he was so smart, why didn't he get a clue? If I had meant that much to him why didn't he feel the same way I did? I was getting more nauseated by the minute until I couldn't take it anymore. Boys were dumb.

"If this is a bad time I can leave?" My head shot up to find Marshall Lee… in a tux.

"Marshall?" He cleaned up pretty well. He wore black pinstriped tuxedo with a blood-red tie tied loosely around his neck. His hair was still a moptop, but he must have combed it because it was somehow neater.

"Yeah. It's me. I didn't arrive too late did I?"

"No. It's just, uh… well it's just kind of lame in there is all." I stood up and hastily wiped my tears away after realizing how crazy and weak I must have looked. '**_Never let a vampire see you cry, hon. They love sadness and they won't stop till you're left with nothing._**' At least, that's what Cake always told me.

"Do you want to get out of here? There's nothing but candy people drunk off their asses in there anyways," I asked hurriedly, eager to escape.

"That'd be for the best. They don't really like me so much. Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere." Marshall smiled at my response and grabbed my hand.

"Marshmallowy Meadows it is, then." Before I knew it, I was up in the air on Marshall's back. The breeze blew gently and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"You came." I grinned to myself and felt my face flush.

"Don't think too much of it. I just felt like a douche after you left. In all honesty, what you said isn't the worst that I've heard. You're also the first to apologize, so that helps your case too," he said.

My grin fell. For being a vampire and all, Marshall Lee sure did act human. It made my heart-guts feel bad. I much preferred this silence to us fighting, so I snuggled on his back and waited for the trip to end.


	4. I Feel Like Something is Watching Us

_MMH: edited 10/14/14. Don't forget to review... and hopefully favorite._

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><p>We arrived at Marshmallowy Meadows and I hopped off of Marshall. "So uh, what do you want to do?" I asked.<p>

"I dunno." Marshall Lee shrugged his shoulders and turned away. It must have been pretty awkward for him to hang out with a person who attacked him and then apologized a few days later.

I tried to break the ice. "Wanna just talk?" He looked at me funny and I rolled my eyes. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"All right. What do you want to know?"

"Where you're from, what's your favorite bloodtype, when you were bitten, whatever," I said.

"Actually I drink the color red, not blood."

"Blood is red," I said and Marshall grinned.

"Yeah but I don't actually drink the blood, just the color. It's kind of complicated. Anyways, I was un-born a thousand-ish years ago and I've always been a vampire. I became Vampire King about four hundred years ago and I've moved around from place to place ever since. Nothing really that special compared to an adventurer."

I smiled at his compliment. Was he trying to woo me? …Because it was kind of working.

"Well, my life isn't really that interesting either. I was found in the woods by Cake's parents when I was a baby. Ever since, I've been a part of their family. I started adventuring after our dad was attacked and the rest is history." I rubbed the back of my neck. I normally hated talking about my life.

"What happened?"

"He was uh, attacked by vampires." I scratched my arm and looked away. _Crap, I made it awkward. I walked right into that one._

"Oh." He said. I could tell Marshall Lee knew he unintentionally hit a sore spot, so I tried to brush it off. It wasn't his fault after all.

"Yeah, but he's fine. A few bite and claw scars, but at least he's alive." I smiled reassuringly at Marshall and he returned it. We talked for hours about our lives. We talked about friends and family, what our favorite movies were, and anything that came to mind. It turns out, one of the many places that Marshall lived was actually my tree house.

"You should probably get home to said tree house, huh?"

"Nah, it's only…" I looked at my watch. It was two in the morning. "… oh yeah, I should."

"I'll fly ya." Before I could decline, Marshall Lee lifted me up in the air and we were off. We were there in minutes and I bid him goodnight. He flew off and I stood there smiling for a moment. Marshall was great guy and I felt slight guilt for judging him so quickly. However, one could never be too careful. Eventually I went inside and was caught off-guard by my cat roommate standing in front of the doorway.

"Fi, where have you been? I was so worried when I couldn't find you after the party." Cake pounced on me and I almost fell backwards.

"Chill you crazy cat. I was out hanging with Marshall Lee." I pulled her off and plopped her on the couch. She eyed me carefully.

"Marshall Lee? But I thought…"

"He's cool now. Vampires are pretty awesome when you don't have to fight 'em." I replied, cutting her off.

"Have you eaten some bad sweets? Vampires are evil, sweetie. Remember what happened to Dad?"

"Yes. In fact, I told Marshall Lee about it and he totally gets why I was so rude to him. He's totally different than any vampire I've ever been told about." I smiled smugly.

Cake sighed and stood up. "Well, okay. I just want you to be extra careful around him. That boy is on probation in my book."

I laughed and went upstairs to get ready for bed. The whole time I was thinking about how cool it would be to learn guitar. _Maybe Marshall could teach me. _That night I was lying in bed trying to get to sleep, but something was bothering me. I felt like something was watching me. I just couldn't shake it. I tossed and turned for about an hour before I couldn't take it anymore.

"Cake? You awake?"

"Yeah. I can't seem to fall asleep."

"Me either. I feel like something is watching us." I got up and went to the window, but there was nothing out there. "I guess it's just my imagination." I got back in bed and Cake snuggled at my feet.

"How did you manage to find Marshall Lee anyways?" she asked. Why was she **_still _**hung up on that?

"You know that super mathematical scroll that PG has?"

"That giant thing that I accidentally knocked behind his desk a couple months ago?"

"That was you? Well it shows everyone's location in the land of Ooo."

"Everyone? So like you and me too?"

"Uh-huh."

"That must be what's freaking you out." Cake yawned. "I am too now that I know there's a weird scroll that knows where everyone is that anyone can look at it."

"I guess you're right."

Cake always knew how to make me feel better. I eventually fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, Cake and I were awoken by a tapping at our window. Cake groaned and went downstairs to cook up some breakfast. I opened the glass and Gumball's giant bird Morrow stuck its head into our room and dropped a letter before quickly leaving.

**_Fionna,_**

**_Hurry to the castle ASAP._**

**_Gumball_**

"CAKE, C'MON! WE'RE GOING TO THE CANDY KINGDOM!" I shouted down the stairs. I smelt sugar and vanilla coming from the kitchen.

"Are we gonna make this trip a daily thing?"

"PROBABLY!" I smiled. I heard Cake sigh and then clanging of pots and pans.

"I guess the pancakes will have to wait."

We arrived at the castle to fine everyone in chaos. As we continued to walk to the castle, I was bombarded by random candy people throwing in their two cents.

**_"I'm so worried!" "What are you going to do, Fionna?" "If she can get into the kingdom undetected, then Gumball will never be safe again!" _**

_Get in undetected? What? _Cake and I quickly walked up to the suddenly heavily guarded castle. One guard stepped out of the line of dozens and stared the two of us down.

"State your name." The guard was stood like a stone in front of the door. I was a little taken aback. _He doesn't trust me? I'm one of Gumball's best friends._

"Fionna the Human and Cake the cat," I said.

"State your business."

"Gumball said he needed to see me ASAP. I have the letter proving it." I handed the letter to him, but the candy cane guard still eyed me suspiciously. I rolled my eyes before I simply shoved him out of my way.

"Halt, In the name of the future King!"

We rushed into Gumballs room and saw him pacing back and forth wringing his hands.

"Fionna! Something horrible has happened!" Gumball noticed the guard was still following me and dismissed him, but not before yelling at him for being stupid enough to not trust the 'greatest heroine in Ooo', his words, not mine.

"I know. What's up?" I asked.

"The Ice Queen stole the scroll."

"What? How did that happen?"

"No one knows. We assume she was disguised as someone who had access to my private quarters."

"Well, who has access?"

"That would be me, you, the candy guards, and my grandmother."

"But you have like, a billion guards! That doesn't help at all…"

"Well it's better than nothing," he said. True "Now, what's the game plan?"

"I guess the only thing to do is go to her castle and beat the tar out of her till she gives back the scroll." I said farewell to Gumball and Cake and I raced to the Ice Mountains.

"Damn it! With the scroll she can kidnap all the princes in Ooo in minutes!" I hated going to the Ice Kingdom. It was always cold and more often than not I would bust my ass on a patch of ice.

"Well, we just gotta make sure that she doesn't have the time to use it," Cake reassured me. We both knew that if she **_did_** kidnap all the princes then she'd in theory have full control of Ooo since all the royalties' predecessors would be missing in action. We couldn't allow that.


	5. Monster

_MMH: edited 10/14/14. Don't forget to favorite and review!_

* * *

><p>The Ice Queen's Castle was exactly as you'd imagine it would be. There was about six inches of snow on the ground and hundreds of penguins strewn about. Since the Ice Queen wasn't the most creative person in the world she had named them all Gunter.<p>

None of the Gunters seemed to mind that Cake and I were intruding in their home since we did it on a regular basis. Some of them even waddled up to us for a pat on the head, though there was one that glared at us from a safe distance. We walked up to the icicle-covered castle and kicked the door down.

The snow on the ground was replaced by ice as we entered. Icicles jutted out in every direction threatening to stab us. While the air outside was cold, the air inside the castle was absolutely bitter. Our breath froze into tiny crystals and dropped onto the floor.

"Ice Queen! Gives us back the scroll!" I yelled and my voice echoed in the empty room.

I heard her extremely annoying cackle before she came out behind an icicle pillar. _Trying to make a big reveal? How cliché._ She had always been that way; she was quite theatrical.

"Never! With this I can catch all the princes and get to choose who to marry!" She held the scroll in her hand with a grasp that could probably kill someone.

"What are you going to do with the ones you don't marry?" Once I said that I felt a knot in my stomach. Whatever she was going to do, it wasn't going to be good. I always had a bad habit of opening my mouth before I could think.

"Kill them! That way, I get power over Ooo **_and _**a dude!"

"WHAT?!"

The Ice Queen had always been a hazard, but she had never once talking about killing people. Not even me. I leaped at her and tried to grab the scroll from her, but she shoved me away.

"Keep away from me, you bratty tomboy!" she screeched. I needed to shut her up. I reached my hand into my backpack to grab my sword, but it wasn't there.

"Oh crap. My sword! I totally forgot to go get it when I threw it at Marshall." Having a temper always caused me some sort of trouble and now I was left without a weapon.

"Don't worry about it, baby! I've got her!" Cake pounced on the Ice Queen. I heard the tearing of skin as well as the Ice Queen's screams. I winced at the sound; I had often been at the receiving end of Cake's claws when we wrestled so I knew how much it hurt.

"Ouch! You stupid cat!" The Ice Queen threw Cake off of her through an ice wall.

"Cake!" I tried to tackle the Ice Queen, but she was already flying away out the window with the scroll. "DAMN IT!" I ran over to Cake to check on her. "You okay?"

"Ugh, yeah. Mean ol' witch knows how to pack a wallop, though."

I raced over to the window where the Ice Queen had left and the next thing I knew, I was flat on my back. Cake raced over to me as I stared up at the ceiling completely confused.

"You okay, hunny?" she asked.

"Yeah. What'd I slip on?"

"The Ice Queen's blood."

"Ewwwwww." I got up and noticed that there was quite a lot of it. The back of my legs and my arms were covered in her blue, chilly blood.

"I managed to scratch her arm up pretty good before she threw me."

"Gross."

I wasn't squeamish or anything, it's just that usually the things I battle don't bleed. I didn't really know why. For the longest time when I was little I thought I was the only thing in Ooo aside from my family with blood.

"Where do you think she's goin'?"

"I don't know, but she probably isn't going to come back here for a while. Gob, I can't believe how stupid I am! How could I have forgotten to get my sword back?" I grumbled. That was my favorite sword. My dad had given it to me for my tenth birthday.

"Well let's go look for it now."

Cake and I raced past the annoyed Gunters and arrived at the Evil Forest. We looked for hours, but we couldn't find my sword. I looked where I had thrown it at Marshall under all the trees and bushes, but it just wasn't there.

"Man, this bites." I mumbled. Cake finally managed to convince me to get home before it would get dark and we got home just as the sun was setting. To my surprise, my sword was lying on the doorstep in perfect condition with a note attached to it.

**_I found this when I was flying over the forest. You left it when you threw it at me? Silly, forgetful human. Don't lose it again._**

**_ Marshall Lee_**

I smiled and picked up my sword. Marshall had a knack for coming into my life when I needed him. It felt kind of nice. Usually Cake and I had to take care of ourselves.

While Cake went to the kitchen to make herself supper, I went upstairs and took a shower to clean off the dried blood from my body. As I washed my hair with strawberry shampoo, I looked down and watched the water turn blue from the Ice Queen's blood. I began to think about what was going to happen. How could I stop the Ice Queen if I didn't know where she was? She could kidnap all the princes she wanted and I couldn't stop her unless I could get to her. Who would she choose to marry, anyways?

_Probably Gumball. She captures him at least twice a week…_

I shook that thought out of my head. There was no way I'd let the Ice Queen marry Gumball, or any prince for that matter. Filled with newfound determination, I quickly finished my shower. I wrapped a towel around myself before going into my bedroom and stopped dead in my tracks. I did not expect Marshall Lee to be lying on my bed waiting for me. He was too busy playing his bass to notice I was there… in a towel.

"Marshall!" I squealed in embarrassment. He looked up and smirked.

"Sup?"

"Get out! I have to change!"

He rolled his eyes before floating out my window to give me some privacy. I shut the curtains and quickly changed. After I made sure I looked decent, I re-opened them.

"I thought vampires had to be invited into a house."

"It's a myth. Besides it **_was_** once my house, remember? I have rights." He smirked. I rolled my eyes before moving out of the way to let Marshall in.

"Thanks for finding my sword."

He put his bass in a corner and plopped on my bed again.

"I just caught a glimpse of it as I was flying over the forest," he said, brushing it off as if it were nothing.

"Oh really? You just so happened to see it through all the dense trees?"

"Yup." Marshall cleared his throat. "So, I hear you have an Ice Queen problem." I knew he was trying to distract me from the conversation, so I decided to let it go. Besides, we both knew he went to go look for it.

"Maybe."

"I can help you if you'd like."

"Aren't you on her abductee list?" I asked. Marshall technically **_was_** royalty wasn't he?

"No way. She's way too scared of me. The bitch is crazy, but not suicidal." _The Ice Queen is afraid of Marshall Lee? Why?_

"A'ight. What were you thinking?"

"I could fly over Ooo and look to see where the Ice Queen is hiding."

"How did you know she was hiding?" I asked suspiciously. He sure did know a whole lot about what was going on.

"Because I'm Marshall Lee the Vampire King."

"That's hardly a good answer."

"It doesn't have to be." He shrugged. I smiled at his confidence. It was quite refreshing to hang out with a guy who was witty and charming. Not that Gumball wasn't, it's just that he wasn't the way the Marshall Lee was.

"Sweetie, who are you talkin' to? I have some leftovers from my—" I turned to the door just to see Cake's face contort into utter horror. Marshall noticed Cake's fear and smirked. He glided over to her and loomed over her shaking frame.

He leaned over to her ear. "Boo."

In seconds, Cake was running out the front door screaming.

"What is wrong with you?" I would have been angrier if he had actually meant any harm.

"Sorry it was just too easy. I'll go get her." He floated out the window and reappeared with Cake trying to wriggle out of his arms.

"Get away from me, you monster!"

"Cake, be nice. He's going to help us stop the Ice Queen."

"What? Why?" Cake had escaped from Marshall Lee's arms and was now hiding behind me.

"The Ice Queen is scared of him. I figure we could use that to our advantage."

"**_Everyone_** is afraid of him."

"Not me."

"Well, you're weird." Cake left quickly without saying another word, never turning her back on Marshall for a second.

"You're not afraid of me?" Marshall leaned against the wall watching my every move. I knew he was trying to intimidate me so I crossed my arms and smiled trying to be as confident as possible.

"Nope."

"Are you sure?" He pushed himself off the wall and stalked towards me. I gulped and started to cautiously creep backwards. I felt my back press up against the wall and Marshall Lee had a hand on the wall on either side of me.

"Y-yeah."

"I'm a cold-blooded killer, you know. I could snap your neck in an instant and suck all the red out of you until you're a shriveled little husk."

"Why are you being so nice to me, then?"

He paused for a minute and looked into my eyes. My heartbeat was going crazy and my breathing had stopped.

"Because you're cute and I like you." Marshall Lee grinned and I felt my face burn in embarrassment. The next thing I knew I was all alone and the window was left open.

_Marshall Lee thinks I'm cute?_

* * *

><p>The next day Cake and I raced to Gumball to tell him the news. I really should have told him the day before, but I knew the Ice Queen wouldn't have had time to find a new secret lair and kidnap any princes.<p>

_Plus she likes to have her "beauty sleep"._

I met Gumball in his garden as he was planning his battle strategy with his guards.

"I tried to get the scroll from her, but she escaped," I said.

"Where is she?" PG asked.

"We don't know. All we know is that she's planning on capturing all the royal dudes in Ooo and killing the ones she isn't going to marry."

PG's eyes widened and he nodded. "I have to call a Grand Meeting of Ooo Royalty immediately! All of the princes must be protected at all costs."

Within a little less than an hour, hundreds of royals were filing in through the Candy Kingdom door.

_Wow, he sure knows how to organize. It's rather impressive._

As everyone settled down, I was looking over the Grand Meeting of Ooo Royalty. Hundreds of guards and all of Ooo royalty were there. Well almost.

"Hey Gumball? Why is there an empty spot over there?"

"Oh. That's Marshall Lee's seat."

"Why isn't he here?"

Gumball tensed and hesitated before responding. "It's because he's banned from the Candy Kingdom."

My mouth dropped. I knew that he wasn't liked, but I hadn't known that he was hated that much.

"What? Why?!"

"It's… It's not my place to say." Gumball cleared his throat. The Lumpy Space King and Queen stood up to start the meeting before I could pester him any further.

"As all of you should already know, we are here to talk about the growing threat of the Ice Queen. It seems that she has the power to kidnap all the royal sons in a matter of minutes. I have heard from Fionna the Human that she plans to… well, kill all the princes she doesn't marry."

Once that was said, everyone erupted into chaos.

"All but one of our sons will die?"

"Being married to the Ice Queen is worse than death."

"Fionna could help."

"She's just one girl."

"Plus she's just a human."

_Ouch._ I had never thought of my species as a bad thing before.

"We're all doomed! There's no way we can stop the Ice Queen!"

"The Ice Queen has won! We might as well hand over Ooo right now."

"STOP!" I shouted. The whole crowd went silent and looked towards me. Mass hysteria always seemed to be a first resort for most royals. "I have everything under control."

"But how? You're just one person!" Everyone started shouting again and things were getting nowhere fast. Not to mention all the noise was starting to give me a killer migraine.

"Shut up!" I yelled and the silence resumed again. "I'm not alone. Cake, Marshall Lee, and I will stop the Ice Queen. There is absolute+ly nothing to worry about."

"Marshall Lee?" Gumball whispered. I ignored it since no one had heard him but me.

"Now, I want everyone to go home and use all their guards to protect their princes' rooms. If any prince is kidnapped I want to be notified immediately. Am I clear?"

Everyone softly agreed before dispersing to go home. I could tell that they were hesitant to trust me and honestly they had every right to be. I was only one person. True I had people to help me, but the Ice Queen was much stronger than the three of us. Once everyone left Gumball and I were left filling an agonizing silence.

"You're friends with Marshall Lee?" he said. _Out of all that's happened today, that's the first question he asks?_

"Yeah."

"Fionna, that's a bad idea. He is a bad guy and you have no idea what he's capable of."

"He's a good person. If only you'd take a minute to stop being so scared of him, you'd realize that too."

"You don't know what I know about him."

"So? I know that he's nice, thoughtful, brave, **_and_** he's a way we can stop the Ice Queen. That's all I need to know."

"You don't… like him, do you?" he asked and I stiffened.

"I don't really think that is any of your business." I don't know if I did or didn't have feelings for Marshall Lee, but my main focus at that moment was to make PG jealous. "Besides, he's going to help me save your ass so you should be grateful."

"Well if he wants to help so much, why doesn't he just suck her dry like the monster he is?"

I couldn't take his judgment anymore. I slapped Gumball. My hand stung as it collided with his face and he fell backwards onto the floor.

"First of all, he can't suck her dry because he drinks red, not blood, and her blood is blue. Second of all, he is not a monster. Why is everyone calling Marshall a monster?!" I struggled to control my breathing and my eyes widened when I realized what I had done to my best friend.

"PG, I'm so…"

"It's fine. I get it. Just go home for tonight. I'll get all my guards to protect my room until we can come up with an official game plan tomorrow." He rubbed his cheek, which was beginning to swell.

I nodded my head and left before I could do anymore damage. Why on Earth was I being so protective of Marshall?

_It's because you connect with him. You're the only human, he's the only nice vampire. Plus, he called you cute…_


	6. His Secret

_MMH: edited 10/14/14. Please favorite and review!_

* * *

><p>When I arrived at the Candy Kingdom the next day, I was stopped by a candy guard. Though this time it was a large chocolate-covered banana instead of a candy cane. <em>Not that it matters; All of them are kind of mean.<em>

"I'm sorry Miss Fionna, but His Royal Highness isn't taking any visitors today," he said, as if he had it memorize. _Oh hell no._

"But we have to come up with a way to find the Ice Queen."

"I believe Sir Gumball said something about Marshall Lee having everything under control."

_What. a. dick. _

I was thinking about marching up to his room anyways. After all, I could easily take a banana with chocolate on his head, but I knew that would make Gumball even more upset with me. I decided against it and bid farewell to the guard. He didn't even wave goodbye. _Asshole. _

It was around four o'clock when I closed the door to the tree house and slid down it in defeat. "Gumball hates me," I whined.

"He doesn't hate you. It's just that you're probably the first one in his life to stand up to him. Don't worry too much about it." Cake handed me a strip of bacon that she had been making and I took a bite.

"Yeah, but he wouldn't even let me see him. He had me blocked by some banana-douchebag."

Cake and I would have continued the conversation if there hadn't been a knock on the door. I stood up and opened it to find Marshall standing there under a black parasol. Instead of his usual ensemble, today he was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with green corduroy pants. He was also wearing suspenders. _He's so adorable. _Marshall brushed past me and immediately went to the shadiest part of the room.

"Close the curtains would you?" he asked. Cake and I quickly shut all the curtains and Marshall closed his parasol.

"So all you have to do is carry a parasol around and you'll be fine, eh?" Cake asked.

"It's not a parasol. It's an umbrella."

"What's the difference?" she said.

"Umbrellas are much manlier." Marshall handed me his umbrella and I rolled my eyes before putting it in the closet.

"Whatever. So have you found the Ice Queen yet?" I asked.

"Nope, not yet. I did, however, find out she isn't in the Crystal Dimension, the Shiny Isles, the Cloud Forest, the Evil Forest, anywhere in the Rock Candy Forest, or the Ice Kingdom." Marshall replied.

"So that only leaves the Fire Kingdom, the Desert Land, the Haunted Swamp, and the Unknown Lands. You're awesome!"

"I know." Marshall smiled. I rolled my eyes again. "Hey do you think Prince Gummy needs to know?"

"No. I tried talking to him today, but he's kind of pissed so I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Long story."

After a semi-awkward silence, an idea popped into my head. "Wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure I haven't watched one in over a lifetime," Marshall said and plopped onto the couch. I wasn't sure if he was exaggerating or not.

"Cake you wanna join?" We turned to her and saw her stop dead in her tracks. I could tell she was torn between watching over us or getting the hell out of there.

"Uh… no. I'm meeting Mo-chro and we're going to have a picnic."

"Oh okay. Have fun."

After Cake left, I grabbed BMO, who was playing some electro music and twirling around and carried him to the couch.

"Marshall, meet BMO."

"Hey BMO."

The little computer stopped dancing to respond. "Hi."

"It's so…cute." I smiled at Marshall's response. _I never thought I would hear him call something cute._

"BMO we want to watch a movie," I said.

"Okay."

I sat down next to Marshall on the couch watching BMO play "Casablanca". It seemed like a good movie, but I was too distracted to pay any attention to it. I couldn't stop thinking about what Gumball had said at the meeting. Why was Marshall Lee banned from the Candy Kingdom? Why did Gumball hate him so much? It wasn't like him to hate anything, even the Ice Queen.

_I dunno, he must be pretty fuming if he wouldn't even let you see him…_

"Hey Fi?" Marshall's voice thankfully pulled me out of my thoughts back onto the couch.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry I was a jerk to you when we first met. Vampires usually don't have hearts, so I tend to go overboard with the whole 'emotion' thing."

"It's fine." My eyes were still fixed on watching the movie. He must have noticed I was distracted.

"You okay?"

"Why are you banned from Candy Kingdom?" I felt him tense a little before relaxing almost immediately.

"It's kind of a long story."

"You'll tell me about it eventually, right?"

"Sure, if you want. Just not now."

"Okay."

Though the question was burning in my brain, if Marshall Lee wanted time I would try to give it to him. After all, he was being so helpful in my mission to stop the Ice Queen. He had already searched over half of Ooo looking for her in one day. I was starting to get sleepy, but I didn't want Marshall to leave so I ignored it. Instead I rested my head on his shoulder. My eyelids were getting heavy.

"You're great Fi, you know that?"

"Thanks I try." I snuggled a little closer and I felt Marshall's arm wrap around me.

"Fi?"

"Mhmm?" I waited for a moment and felt like I was going to fall asleep soon if he didn't respond.

"Never mind. I forgot."

"Mkay…" I smiled thinking of Gumball and Marshall as I dozed off.

_Wait. Gumball __**and**__ Marshall?_

I woke up on the couch the next morning to find Marshall gone. I knew he was probably looking for the Ice Queen, but it made me sort of blue that he hadn't said goodbye. I tried to get that thought of my head and focus on what I had to do.

First of all, I had to talk to Gumball. I gave him a day to cool off, but now we had to talk about the Ice Queen.

* * *

><p>"Fionna, thank goodness you're here! The Ice Queen has taken Breakfast Prince, Hot Dog Prince, and Raggedy Prince." I burst into Gumball's room to find him pacing again. It was becoming a horrible habit, both me bursting in and his pacing.<p>

"Well if you hadn't totally ignored me yesterday I probably could have done something." I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Now is not the time," he said. It really wasn't but I insisted anyways.

"Yes it is. If you hadn't been so moody yesterday, those princes wouldn't have been taken."

Perhaps I was being a bit harsh, but it might have been true for all I know. We might have found her yesterday and stopped her.

"I'm sorry. I just needed time by myself. After you hinted that you might have feelings for that mon..." I glared at him and he corrected himself, "…Marshall I just couldn't take it."

"Fine, whatever. But you have to tell me something." I sat down on his king-sized pink bed. It didn't matter to me anymore that Gumball had been horrible. Something else was burning in the back of my mind.

"What is it?" I hesitated for a little bit. I knew I was going into dangerous territory but I had to know.

_I know I told Marshall just last night I'd wait to find out but I can't. So shoot me._

"Why is Marshall Lee banned from the Candy Kingdom?"

I saw him deeply consider answering before shooting down the question. "I told you, it isn't my place to say." I scrunched my eyebrows together and pursed my lips in thought.

_Maybe if I keep prying._

"Tell me."

"You won't like it."

At this point, I was getting just a little angry. Why wasn't anyone telling me? What was the big secret? I had every right to know and it didn't really matter the source. I needed to know.

"Tell me!" I yelled.

"Fi, it isn't…"

"NOW!"

"He attacked your dad."

My anger almost made me miss Gumball's soft and sudden announcement. I swear I felt my heart explode.

"He…. He what?"

"He was the one to attack your dad."

I knew what he had said the first time, but I just needed to hear it again to believe it. The very person who almost tore my dad to shreds was now helping me. He was in my house. He was in my room. He could have killed me at any moment. How stupid was I to trust someone I had met barely more than a week ago?

I stood there frozen when Marshall himself walked through the bedroom door with a proud grin on his face.

"Marshall! You aren't supposed to be here!" Gumball was understandably surprised. Not even I knew where he had been. Marshall ignored Gumball and continued towards me.

"Fionna, great news! I found…" He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me turn around with tears in my eyes. I ignored the look of concern in his eyes.

"You were the one who almost killed my dad?" My voice cracked and tears were threatening to spill. Marshall stood staring at me fixed without saying anything. For the first time since I met him, Marshall looked ashamed. His look was all I needed. Finally I couldn't take anymore and ran past him out to the hallway. I had to get home, where everything was simple. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"Fi…"

"Don't you **_dare _**call me that, you sick jerk!" I yelled as I continued my storming down the hall.

"Fionna, I'm sorry. Please listen to me."

"No."

"When I attacked your dad, I wasn't right. I didn't have a heart."

I was almost out the door, but I halted and turned towards him. He had almost ran into me but thankfully stopped just in time. "What?" I asked.

"You see, when you were younger I wasn't who I am now. Vampires aren't things known to have a heart. I was a monster." I gave him the _'you are a monster, jerk'_ look. "You know what I mean. The point is I _was_ a heartless, cruel vampire. After I attacked your dad in the forest, I was arrested by the Royal Candy Guards. After months of me rotting in the dungeon, they decided to give me the harshest punishment a vampire could have. Prince Gumball made me a heart. Though he was only five he was still wicked smart. The first day I felt like my chest was going to explode. I couldn't stop thinking about all those people that I had killed and I couldn't take it. I finally realized how much of a monster I was. I was considered a scientific success. I was just some Frankenstein to them. But Gumball didn't realize that he gave me emotions other than guilt. I started to hate everyone and everything. When I escaped I left a path of destruction in my wake. The Candy Kingdom was nothing but rubble. From then on, I was banished to the far off parts of Ooo. If any of the candy citizens see me, I'll be killed. I'm kind laying my ass on the line right now. I was going to tell you yesterday, but I backed out because I wanted to protect you from what I was. You treat me like I'm still alive and I would never trade that for anything." I paused and tried to take in everything that he had said. What was there to say? It's not like he had lied to me, he just hid something from me.

Something huge.

Something that hurt.

A lot.

That wasn't that bad, right?

"Get out." I whispered. He looked at me startled and took a step back.

"What?"

"I don't want to see your face. I don't want to be around you. I don't even want to hear about you ever again. Get out of my life and stay there."

"Fi…" Marshall was getting desperate and I could see it in his eyes, but I didn't care. He was the thing that woke me up screaming when I was little and now he was in front of me about to cry.

"Don't call me 'Fi'."

"Wait! Please don't leave… I, I know where the Ice Queen is. I can help you."

By this time, Marshall was on his knees and a few tears slid down his cheeks. I, Fionna the Human, had made a vampire cry.

"I don't care. I don't need your help." I had to leave before my apathetic appearance broke. I had to leave before I started crying myself. As I left the castle I heard Marshall screaming, pleading for me to come back. I was tempted to, but I just wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I had.

* * *

><p>The last star had just come out as she walked up to the Candy Kingdom with ease. It was almost too easy. She was greeted by the townspeople, little candy children gave her flowers, but most importantly, no guards attacked her. She calmly walked up to Prince Gumball's room and opened the door. He turned around and ran towards her.<p>

"Fionna. It's great to see you. I'm so sorry that I told you what Marshall did. I did it because I just wanted you away from him. I'm such a jerk."

"It's okay PG. I deserved to know." The woman cooed lovingly as the prince became wrapped up in her arms. She almost squealed at her good luck. If she came and Gumball and Fionna were fighting, things would have been a little more difficult. Both smiled at each other until they pulled away and Gumball looked down.

"Fionna, what happened to your arm?" Gumball took a hold of her forearm and looked at a long, curved gash.

"Oh, it's nothing. Cake and I just had a little fight." She said, trying to distract the prince.

"Well, let me get you…" He started to pull away. She couldn't have that.

"Gumball, wait. I want to tell you something." She pulled his arm and spun him around centimeters from her face. "Just close your eyes and I whisper it in your ear." Hesitantly Gumball closed his eyes and felt her grow closer. "You're going to marry me, Prince. You and I will live happily ever after."

Prince Gumball's eyes snapped his eyes open to see an evil smirk on the woman whom he thought to be Fionna's face just before he was struck in the head and blacked out.


	7. I Promise

_MMH: edited 10/14/14. Please favorite (if you'd like) and review (always)!_

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><p>I was pacing around Gumball's throne room thinking about where he and all the princes that were missing could be and I was starting to get a little pissed off. I was woken up in the middle of the night to hear a loud banging at the front door by his Royal Guards. Gumball had been kidnapped by the Ice Queen. Now here I was at five in the morning trying to figure out where she was all by myself. I was totally in the dark.<p>

_Where could she be hiding? Where?! Marshall knows where she is. Why don't you just… _

I shook my head of that thought. I didn't need Marshall Lee. I didn't. Really.

_Marshall. Marshall. Marshall._

"AUGH! SHUT UP! I DO NOT NEED MARSHALL!" My voice echoed throughout the halls of the Candy Kingdom. I would have been concerned about waking someone up if everyone weren't awake anyway, too busy worrying about their prince. I turned around and saw Cake sitting there with her eyes watching me intently.

"No one said you did. Maybe you should rest for a little bit, Fi." She said calmly.

"You know I can't do that! Maybe you could, like sniff her out?"

"I'm a cat; you're thinking of a dog. Cats only use their **_hearing_** to track something around their general location. I can only smell something up close..." I know she wasn't trying to seem apathetic, but it was driving me crazy.

"Then why the hell are you here, you useless cat?!" I glared at her. Cake remained quite unmoved by my hurtful outburst. She was pretty good at hiding her emotions.

"I am here because I am the only one who can and will put up with you when you're having a nervous breakdown. I am not useless. Once we find out the location, I can pounce on the Ice Queen and take her down." Cake did have a point and I felt bad for snapping at her.

"Sorry. Well, how can we find out her location?"

"I'm thinking. Do you think a Gunter is still at the Ice Kingdom?"

"Maybe. How can we get one of them to talk?"

"Use Mo-chro's voice translator thing. It can translate any creature anywhere." Cake's suggestion helped prove that my sister was definitely not useless.

"Okay. It's worth a shot." After asking Lord Monochromicorn for his Universal Translator, Cake and I headed off to the last place we saw the Ice Queen. The sun was just rising when Cake and I reached the Ice Kingdom. There was nothing but water and melting ice across the barren landscape.

_She must have not been at here for a while. Her powers are wearing off on the ice. _The once impenetrable castle was now nothing but a half-melted ice cube. The ice was crackled and threatened to fall at any moment. We looked around for anyone and found only one penguin huddled in a corner.

"Hey! Gunter!" I called out. The penguin turned around hopefully, but glared when it realized who we were. It quacked at us angrily and tried to peck me. "Wait a second. Hey, stop it! Let me put this on you."

The penguin continued to attack me so Cake wrapped her arms around him preventing him from doing anything more than struggle. I put the translator on him and was pecked again.

"What do you want you stupid human?" he asked. The unfortunate penguin was one of the oldest ones in the Ice Queen's army. He was most likely the first one she got.

"Can you tell us where the Ice Queen is?"

"Fuck you. If you hadn't come barging in causing a terrible ruckus, the Ice Queen wouldn't have left us."

"Us? Where are all the other penguins?" Cake asked. The penguin continued to glare at us and spat at the ground in disgust.

"Gone. They weren't very loyal to the Ice Queen, but I am. I'm waiting till she gets back."

"Just tell us where she might be and we'll bring you to her." I tried to compromise with him, but he wouldn't have it. He tried to wiggle out of Cake's arms but she refused to let go.

"No! I must wait here! I must protect this place from ruffians like you. I promised!"

"But you'll get hurt. This place is going to collapse at any second."

"Just leave me alone. She'll be back soon, then you'll see!"

It was absolutely heart-breaking to know that the Ice Queen was never going to come back. She left her penguins all alone but this one remained ever-faithful. After a couple minutes I spoke again.

"Okay. We'll leave, but **_only_** if you tell us where she is."

The penguin inspected me cautiously before answering. "Fine. She's one of the caves in the Unknown Lands. I don't know which one. She likes her privacy, even from me. Now leave!" Cake released him and he began to scratch me with the claws on his feet.

"Okay! Sheesh." I said. Cake and I left the castle and heard the penguin muttering to himself as we started to head for the Unknown Lands.

"Oh my! I must clean this place before she gets back. The Ice Queen will have my head if she thinks I threw a party without her…"

* * *

><p>The Unknowns Lands were miles of mountains that no one had dared enter. They were never charted or even looked at up close before, hence the reason they were "unknown". The air was cold, presumably from the Ice Queen's presence.<p>

"This is going to take forever," I said. I was mostly worried about Gumball and the other princes' well-being, but also slightly annoyed that the Ice Queen picked such a difficult location. Cake stood with her eyes closed listening for any sound that might have been a prince or the Ice Queen. After an unbearable silence, Cake's eyes snapped open and she ran towards a mountain not too far from where we were.

"I heard a groan over here. Hop on." I did as she told and she stretched her legs until we reached the opening of a cave. I climbed off of her and we both entered the cavern.

"Is the Ice Queen here?"

"No. She hasn't been here in hours."

"Any princes?" I asked.

"Only one."

"Fionna?" His voice was so faint. It didn't sound like he was far away, but more like that was as loud as he could be. I turned towards his voice and saw Gumball's contorted body slumped up beside the wall.

"Gumball!" I ran towards him, but he stopped me before I got too close.

"Wait…K-Keep away from me." He wheezed in a panic and my heart dropped.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what's going on. The last thing I remember… was when we were at the castle and you attacked me." His eyes closed and tried to focus on what was happening. He was so pale and he held his right arm as if it were broken.

"It was the Ice Queen, PG."

"I don't… understand. You, you were there when…"

"I would never hurt you. I promise. You're my best friend." I blinked back the crying that would inevitably come and he didn't respond. His left arm dropped and all pain fell from his face. Tears welled up in my eyes and I felt his heartbeat grow faint. "Gumball? Please, please don't leave me. Cake! We have to get him out of here **now**."

"Baby, I don't think…"

I didn't want to hear what she was going to say. "CAKE! Help me! P-please. I don't know what I'd do without him. We, we ha-have to save him."

I was beginning to become hysterical. Gumball couldn't die. I wouldn't allow it. Cake stretched out so I could get on and I held onto Gumball as if my life depended on it. We got to the Candy Kingdom and ran straight to his room, ignoring the concerned patrons awoken by our commotion.

"We need a doctor!" Caked called out. Hours later Cake and I were outside Gumball's room waiting for the doctor to come out. Finally the ice cream doctor retreated from the room and came up to me.

"He's hurt quite badly. Most of his organs are crushed. His right femur, his right humerus, and all of his ribs are broken. We're lucky that he's still alive. He would be in too much pain if he were conscious, so we put him in medically induced coma until he can take it."

"What happened?" I asked softly. I couldn't stand the guilt. I knew that she would try to kill the princes she didn't marry, but I had thought that Gumball would be safe.

"Since there is no eye-witness we aren't sure. However, we suspect that he was most likely thrown up against the wall and severely beaten."

"Can we, can we see him?"

"Of course." He replied warmly. Cake remained outside while I entered the room. It was dark and I heard a faint beeping sound.

"Hello?" I said unsurely.

"Shhh."

My eyes began adjusting to the darkness and I saw a nurse sitting down in the corner taking some notes.

"Can he hear us?" I went up to Gumball's bed and rested my hand on his. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the nurse flinch.

"I doubt it." _Then why the fuck did you just shush me? _I stood there just staring at him for a while. His once pale skin was starting to return to normal, but he still looked terrible. I had probably stayed there for a good thirty minutes just staring at him. It was beginning to get late and I had to go home to rest.

"Do you think you could tell me when he wakes up?"

"Why should I?" She spat rudely. _Excuse you? _I tried to be polite, but my attitude was still noticeable in my voice.

"Well, I'm his best friend."

"Funny; the last person Prince Gumball saw before he was kidnapped **_was you_**. The person who brought him back almost dead **_was you_**. I don't trust you and I don't think Prince Gumball does either. Why would he consider you his best friend?" The look on her face was that of utmost repulsion.

Gumball would have never let her speak to me like that if he were awake. At least, I hoped he wouldn't. Though I opened my mouth to defend myself, nothing came out. I quietly left the room and walked past Cake, who was waiting outside.

"Sweetie, you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." I continued home with Cake at my side attempting to comfort me. _She does have a point though. You were trusted with Gumball's life and it was almost lost. Because of you. Gumball is almost dead because of you. You __**are**__ worthless._

* * *

><p>I sat there on the couch with a blanket around my shoulders and a cup of tea in my hand. I hadn't moved an inch since we had gotten home. I wasn't sure exactly how long that was. Cake moved all around the house for some reason, but I just continued to stare in front of me not shifting my line of sight. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I wasn't crying or sobbing or even throwing up. I just couldn't do anything. BMO tried to get my attention by hopping up on my lap and playing a song he had made up, but I was too spaced out to notice.<p>

"Baby, get away from Fionna. She's not in the mood." BMO made a dejected noise before I felt him get off of me and scuttle away. I don't think BMO had met Gumball. He might never be able to. My muscles were starting to ache from not moving for a while, but I remained where I was.

"Fi, I'm going to the Candy Kingdom to visit Mo-Chro. He's looking over Gumball right now."

"Okay."

"Do you want to come with?"

"No."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Cake paused for a moment. I knew that she was thinking. '_I really shouldn't leave her like this, but my baby's hurtin' too. Maybe I should just stay and ask him to come over._' "Go Cake."

She nodded and gave me a hug before she left. Once I knew she was far enough away, my whole body began to shake. I stood up screaming and then threw the mug of tea at the wall. It broke into dozens of pieces and the tea pooled around the broken china. I felt my legs grow weak and I collapsed. I could feel my lungs tighten and I couldn't breathe. I sobbed until my voice was cracked and sore. My face was probably all red and splotchy. My shirt was soaked with tears.

"Fi?" I looked up and saw Marshall Lee standing there.

"Get away from me." He stood there astounded. I didn't sound angry, like I should have. I sounded like I had no reason to live. I just sounded small and pathetic.

"Fi, let me get you up to bed."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to."

"Well at least let me help you up."

"You could hurt me." I whimpered.

"What are you talking about?"

"How do I know you're not the Ice Queen? She can be anybody. She was me when she kidnapped Gumball. She was probably me when she stole the scroll. Why can't she be you?"

"She can only turn into people that she's touched. Do you think I'd let her grubby paws touch me?" he smiled at me sadly and I looked down at the ground. _ Well I let her grubby paws touch __**me**__…_

"How do I know you're not lying, like before?" That came out a bit more callous that I intended. I really wasn't trying to be spiteful, just careful.

"I will never lie to you again, Fi… I promise." If I were able, I probably would have pounced on him and hugged him. But that didn't mean I was going to forgive him so quickly. I just needed comfort, is all.

_Just keep telling yourself that. _

Without saying anything else, he picked me up, carried me up the stairs, tucked me in, and then crawled in bed with me. He held me and I cried.

"Why would she try to kill him, Marshall?" I had watched my best friend whom I loved almost die. I was going to get revenge for Gumball. Even if it took my whole life, I would kill the Ice Queen.

"I don't know Fi, but I do know that we'll stop her. I love you too much to let you down again."


	8. Nightmares, Rabbit Hats, and Love Songs

_MMH: edited 10/14/14. Favorite if you love it. Review no matter what. I'm serious... yo._

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><p><em>'Daddy? Where are you Daddy?' My little feet pattered across the wooden floor towards a light I saw in the living room. The floorboards creaked slightly at my weight and I stopped at the door. My footie pajamas had managed to keep a little of the cold away, but I soon found myself shivering. I never liked being out of bed when it was past my bedtime. Night was dark and dark was scary.<em>

_'Fionna is that you? Stay outside, sweetie. Don't come in.' I ignored my mother's request and poked my head into the living room. My father was lying on the couch with my mother and Cake looking over him. It wasn't till they turned around that I saw the pained look on my father's face. Bite marks were all across his fur and there was a long, deep wound down his stomach. His intestines were spilling out and the room was thick with the smell of blood._

_'Why is Daddy bleeding?' _

_He wasn't just bleeding. He was literally gushing._

_I was starting to get dizzy and began to cry._

_'Cake! Keep Fionna away while I try to help your father.' A pair of soft paws scooped me up and swept me back to my room. She sat down in the rocking chair near my bed and gently swayed back and forth with me in her lap._

_'Cake why was Daddy bleeding?' She didn't say anything for a little while and I thought she might not have heard me. She seemed far too distracted. I was about to ask again when Cake said something._

_'Vampires attacked him.'_

_'Vam-pie-uhs?' That was a word I had never heard before. I didn't like the word; it sounded mean._

_'Yes, Fionna. They're monsters who will kill anyone and anything without a second thought.' Cake's jaw quivered slightly and wiped a tear from her eye. She was starting to scare me._

_ 'Cake, you're scaring me.'_

_ 'Fi, I'm just protecting you. I don't want you hurt by one of those monsters like Dad is.' Cake had never spoken like this before. Normally we'd talk about sweets or adventuring, but it had never occurred to me that Cake was scared of stuff just like I was. _

_We heard my mother scream from the living room followed by a loud thumping noise. Cake placed me down and ran towards the commotion in the living room. I toddled as quickly as I could after her. I went to the doorway and saw the corpses of my mother and father lying on the floor with a horrid man staring over them. Blood was splattered all across the room and it dripped down the walls. The contorted faces of my parents were frozen in heart-breaking terror._

_Cake was limp in the monster's arms and little droplets of blood fell from the gash in her neck. She wasn't moving. I tried to run but it felt like my feet were glued to the floor. A little whimper escaped my lips and the monster turned to me suddenly with terrifying red eyes and a chilling grin. He looked familiar, but I just couldn't put my finger on it._

_'Well, well, well. What big eyes you have…' he cooed. The figure bent down to get a better look at my face as he twirled Cake's tail around his fingers playfully._

_'Keep away from me.' Though I was only three, I was quite brave. I was also quite stupid._

_'Why Fionna? You're just a little human. You can't do anything to me.' That threw me off._

_'H-how do you know my name?' The monster grew a smirk that I definitely recognized. Where did I know him from? He dropped Cake's lifeless body and slithered inches from me. I watched in horror as he stood towering over me._

_'Because I'm Marshall Lee the Vampire King.'_

* * *

><p>I jolted awake with sweat pouring from my body. I hadn't had a nightmare in years. I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself. My parents were still alive. In fact, they lived in a little cottage on the far side of the Shiny Isles. I wasn't a little child anymore. I was sixteen.<p>

There was no reason for me to be afraid. I looked over and nearly leapt out of bed when I saw Marshall's sleeping form. My body was on the edge of my bed and I was tempted to scream for help.

_Marshall... Marshall was the one who attacked my dad._

_He's the monster in my dreams._

After a brief moment, I calmed down a little and leaned in closer to him. Marshall looked so peaceful. He was still wearing what he was wearing yesterday; a black and red striped shirt with grey sweatpants. His lips were barely parted and he was mumbling something incoherently. I saw his nose twitch a little bit as he reached out absent-mindedly in my direction. I cautiously crawled a little closer to him and felt his arms wrap around me, pulling me towards him. He sniffed my hair and felt him grin against my forehead.

_Marshall is not a monster. He's different now. He loves me. _

I paused at that thought. _He loves me. He said so last night. He loves me. _I would have been content with that thought, if another hadn't popped into my head. _Why are you thinking about Marshall Lee? You're best friend GUMBALL is minutes away from death and you're all cuddled up ready to ride off into the sunset with this guy._

Memories from last night bubbled up from my mind and practically punched me in the face. I thought about that bitch nurse, I thought about Marshall coming to comfort me, I thought about Gumball.

I hadn't realized I was even crying until Marshall wiped a tear from my cheek.

"Fi, it's not your fault." He murmured. I looked up to see his eyes were still closed. He continued to rub my cheek lovingly even though the tear was long gone.

"Yes it is."

"Why would you say that?"

"I… I wasn't there to protect him." I blushed at my pathetic excuse and Marshall opened his eyes.

"Fi, you couldn't have known."

"But I should have." I turned over and flung my legs out of bed before walked to my mirror. I looked gross. I wasn't wearing my hat, so my long, blonde hair was going in every direction. My nose was pink from crying and my shirt was covered in dirt and tears. Though I couldn't see his reflection in my mirror, I heard Marshall walk towards me and felt him put a hand on my shoulder.

"You're expecting too much from yourself, babe. You're only human." My mind flashed back to what was said at the Grand Meeting of Ooo Royalty and what the nurse had said the night before as well as the nightmare I had just had. _I'm just a human._

"So you're saying if I weren't human I could've protected him?"

"What?" He sounded shocked that I could even think such a thing. When I didn't say anything Marshall turned me around. "Fi, look at me." I looked down trying to avoid his gaze so repeated himself a little more forcefully. "I said look at me."

As if I were under a spell, I felt my head being lifted and I looked directly into Marshall's eyes.

"There is nothing wrong with you being human. Hell, if I had the chance I would become human in a heartbeat. You should be happy that Gumball is alive. You can't beat yourself up about something you can't control. It isn't fair or healthy. Am I clear?" he said. I nodded my head and Marshall smiled. "Good."

It was sort of funny how Marshall could make me feel better without really even trying. Was that a vampire power or was that just him? I let out a small smile and hugged him. I nuzzled my face into his chest and took a deep breath. For being dead and all, he sure did smell good.

_Like cinnamon…_

We stayed like that for a moment just content to be with each other. Before I knew what was happening, I was lying on my bed with Marshall on top of me tickling my ribs.

"Marshall! M-Marshall stop!" I couldn't stop giggling and Marshall was laughing along with me.

"Nope! You need cheering up and this is the easiest way."

"Mar-Marshall pleas-se stop it!"  
>"Alright, on one condition."<p>

"A-anything!" I cried. His fingers stopped tickling my rib and he looked at me with all seriousness.

"Go take a shower. You're covered in dirt and tears and it's gross."

I shoved him and he rolled off onto the bed beside me with a large grin on his face. _Jerk, it's rude to tell a girl she looks gross even if it's true._

"Fine just don't peek at me." I said and stood up.

"No promises."

"Just play you're bass or whatever. You left it here last time." I grabbed some clean clothes and walked to the bathroom to shower.

"Fine, I'm going to serenade you with a long song," Marshall said from my room as he began to play his bass.

"Weirdo." I closed the bathroom door and began to undress. There was something about Marshall being in the other room while I was naked that made me feel… weird.

_A boy is in my room._

_Alone._

I quickly finished my shower and changed into my clothes. Instead of my normal clothes I simply wore some jean shorts and a blue button-down shirt. I started brushing my hair while listening to Marshall play from my room. I hadn't really noticed until now; Marshall was pretty good.

_Well, I suppose he's had a while to practice_.

I finished up and walked back to Marshall. I stood in the doorway and just listened to him for a while. I hadn't heard it from the bathroom, but it turns out he was singing while playing his bass.

"..The way you look tonight, silhouetted, I'll never forget it. Oh, oh Fionna…" My cheeks started to burn and my eyes got wide. _He's singing about me? That's so… romantic._

He did say he was going to sing me a love song, but I didn't think he'd actually do it. I watched until he stopped singing and put down his bass. Just as he put it into the corner next to my bed, he stood up and sniffed the air.

"Mmmm strawberries…" Marshall turned towards me and I smiled.

"Uh, yeah. It's my favorite shampoo."

"Good. I like it too." We stood there smiling at each other until I noticed something was off, quite literally.

"Have you seen my hat?" I asked.

Marshall's smile quickly fell into a playful pout. "You aren't going to put it on, are you?"

I rolled my eyes and began to search for it all around my room. _It must be here somewhere. I was wearing it when I went to bed, but I didn't wake up with it on._

"Well yeah. I feel naked without it." I looked behind my dresser and behind my bed, but I still couldn't find it.

"If only you really were," He whispered. I spun around to face Marshall and started blushing **again**.

_Damn blood! Stop rushing to my face!_

I looked away from his smirking face just as quickly as I had turned to it and saw my hat on the floor next to him. "Oh, there it is."

In the blink of an eye, I was flat on the floor with Marshall straddling me wearing my rabbit hat. His black bangs peeked out through my hat and he wore a giant grin on his face.

_Oh my glob, so hot._

"You should really stop using your super-speed. It's not fair. Now give me my hat back," I said and reached for my hat, but he jerked his head away.

"I don't want you to wear it. If you do, I can't smell your hair."

"But my hair gets in the way of adventuring."

"Too bad. It's my hat now and you can't have it. Where is that cat-thing anyways?" he said changing the subject. I hadn't even thought about my feline friend until Marshall mentioned her.

"Cake? I dunno, I thought she was supposed to be back by now."

As if by magic, Cake burst through my bedroom door with a banana in hand after I finished that sentence. I was mortified. My sister just walked in to see a boy on top of me. A _vampire_ boy.

"Get. Out." She hissed.

"I don't have my umbrella." Marshall said grinning still on top of me. I tried to push him off, but he wouldn't budge.

"And you think I care?"

"Cake, we can't just toss him outside. He'll be toasted." I tried reasoning with her, but she just continued to glare at him.

"Good. How can you trust him so willingly? He was the monster who almost destroyed our family."

"For the last time, Marshall isn't a monster." I glared at my sister and she glared right back. Marshall watched amusedly from the sidelines as my sister and I had a battle of glaring.

"Fine you can trust him if you want," she started, "but I do not want him here all alone when we go see Gumball."

"He won't be alone. He's got BMO."

"You know what I mean, Fi."

"He's not leaving, Cake." We started glaring at each other again until she let out an aggravated sigh.

"Fine but he better not touch my catnip!" Cake slipped out of the room keeping an eye on the two of us. I laughed. She always gave in during glaring contests first.

"You're going to see Gumball today?" Marshall said.

_Did I detect a hint of jealousy?_

"Yeah, I would hate myself if he woke up and I wasn't there for him."

"Maybe when Gumball wakes up, he'll be able to remember what happened to him. I want to know exactly how he got hurt."

"What I want to know is what's going on with the Ice Queen. She was never this villainous before," Cake said re-entering the room after she found another place to hide her catnip.

It was true. Though the Ice Queen was considered my enemy, she hadn't really done anything truly evil until recently.

"She's got a point. We should go check it out after you guys get back from visiting Prince Pinky." Marshall thought aloud finally getting off of me. He handed me back my hat and I quickly put it on.

"No way, vampire boy. Fionna and I are goin'. You just stay here." Cake left, this time for real, and I turned towards Marshall to ask him something.

"Hey Marshall?"

"What's up?"

"While Cake and I go see Gumball, could you go to the Ice Kingdom and see if there's a penguin still there?" I felt bad for poor Gunter. I always had a soft spot for animals, even if they were on the "dark side". For all I knew, that penguin could still be there starving to death.

_If he weren't already crushed under falling ice. _

"Uh, sure. Why?"

"I just want to know that he's okay." Though that was true, I also had other intentions. Maybe if we could help Gunter, he could provide us information about why the Ice Queen had become evil so recently. I wouldn't hold my breath, though. Gunter certainly didn't seem willing to help last time.

"Sounds good but I don't have my umbrella, remember?" he asked. That did pose a problem, but I quickly resolved it.

"I have a parasol in my closet."

"Then what was with the whole fight with Cake about?"

"I just like bickering with her. She gets worked up so easily." Marshall smiled at my childish behavior.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"Thanks, I try." I smiled and looked up at him just as he casually leaned down to kiss me. **_My first kiss_**_. _It was sweet. Not sloppy or lustful, just sweet. We separated from each other and I felt like I was on Cloud Nine of the Cloud Kingdom.

"Don't tell Cake I kissed you. She'll rip my face off," Marshall said in a hushed tone. I grinned and left the vampire in my room to head out for the Candy Kingdom.

_ A boy is in my room. Alone. Again._

Cake and I closed the front door and heard Marshall yell out in what sounded like disgust.

"FIONNA! I'M **NOT** CARRYING AROUND A PINK UMBRELLA!"


	9. The Hatch

_MMH: edited 10/14/14. Don't forget to favorite and review!_

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><p>Cake and I were sitting in Gumball's bed-room-turned-hospital-room watching him sleep. The nurse from last night thankfully wasn't there and instead was replaced by a much nicer, elderly gumdrop. He talked with us and asked if we wanted some apple cinnamon tea while we were there. Of course we said yes. He returned to the room with two cups in hand.<p>

_Mmm, cinnamon…_

"Unfortunately Prince Gumball isn't strong enough to get weaned off of the barbiturate medicine yet, but he certainly is doing much better than last night. We Candy people are surprisingly quick healers." The nurse said as he handed the cups to us and took a seat on the other side of Gumball. The gumdrop nurse peered through his papers and examined the high-tech machinery around the prince. _I wonder if PG made that stuff or if they found it. _I smiled at the old man as took a sip from my mug and then turned back to my comatose friend. The nurse was right; Gumball was starting to look a whole lot better. He was almost entirely back to his normal pink color and his body temperature was where it was supposed to be. It was quite a miracle for such a short time.

If it weren't for the casts and his hospital robe, I would have just figured he was taking a nap and not in severe pain. We talked to the nurse for about an hour. He was so sweet and grateful that Cake and I were trying to stop the Ice Queen.

"Forget what everyone else thinks. I think you are doing all you can and that is simply wonderful," The gumdrop nurse said as he patted his leg and slowly stood up. He shuffled out of the room and Cake and I sat there sipping our tea listening to the beeping of the heartbeat monitor.

"What's the game plan?" she said after a while, snapping me out of my stupor.

_Yeah Fionna, what __is__ the game plan?_

"Well, we just have to find out where the Ice Queen is. That shouldn't be so hard, should it?"

I heard my friend sigh exasperatedly next to me.

"Last time we had something to go off of. Even if that Gunter is still alive, chances are he won't know where the Ice Queen is." I frowned at Cake's response; she did have a point. For all we knew, Gunter hadn't seen the Ice Queen since we last spoke to him.

Cake and I watched Gumball sleeping until the sun started to set.

The walk home was quiet, but my mind was rushing with questions. How were we supposed to find the Ice Queen with nowhere to start? How were we supposed to save all the princes? How many had she captured so far? How many had she killed? I opened the front door and saw BMO sitting in front of the door waiting for us. I would have tripped over him if he hadn't said hello. Cake passed me and went to the kitchen to start supper.

"Hey buddy. Any messages?" I picked BMO up and sat down on the couch with him on my lap.

"Yes Fionna. Shall I play them for you?"

"Sure." I yawned and stretched my arms out. Between hanging out with a vampire all night and trying to find the Ice Queen all day, my sleeping pattern was thrown out of whack.

"Message One: Bee Prince has been kidnapped." _Oh crud._ "Message Two: Cotton Candy Prince has been kidnapped. Message Three: Flame Prince has been kidnapped. Message Four: Ghost Prince has been kidnapped. Message Five…"

"Thank you BMO. You can stop now." I said placing him next to me. I dropped my head into my hands and rubbed my temples. BMO's little hand rubbed my arm comfortingly and I let out a groan of frustration.

_Shit. How could I have blanked out like that? Stupid, stupid, stupid._

How could I have completely disregarded all the other princes of Ooo? BMO continued to pat me with as much comfort as his little body could muster. It sort of helped. A loud banging at the door snapped me out of my thoughts and I ran to open it. Marshall stood in the doorway with Gunter panting in his arms.

"By the time I got to the Ice Kingdom, it was just a puddle. The thing was just lying there. I think he's over-heating," Marshall said walking past me and laid Gunter on the couch. BMO scooted off of the cushions and onto the floor to get Cake.

"Poor fella." I felt his face and he was burning up. Cake rushed from the kitchen with a wet cloth with BMO right beside her. I took it from her hands and placed it on Gunter's forehead. It seemed to help a little bit, but not much. His breath was rapid and light as his eyes fluttered shut to rest.

"What can we do? If Gunter doesn't cool off soon he could die." I sighed looking over him.

"We could have him stay at my place. It's a whole lot colder than this place." Marshall offered.

"We'll go with you," Cake said and I nodded in agreement.

"BMO take care of the house while we're gone, okay?" I said putting on Gumball's red jacket as the three of us started to leave with Gunter.

"Ok Fionna."

* * *

><p>Marshall flew holding the penguin while I rode on Cake's back to Marshall's house. The moon was nothing but a little sliver in the sky. I could barely see Marshall flying a few yards away from me.<p>

"Gunter's starting to look sicker and sicker by the minute." He yelled back to me.

_I hope we get him cooled off in time._

We crossed over the Taffy Forest and Cake's feet swerved around the trees. Out of nowhere she stumbled forward and I was tossed off her back. I tumbled from the sky and was thrown onto the ground. Clumps of dirt and grass flew up around me as I skidded across the land.

"Fionna!" Marshall noticed what had happened and flew over to me, careful not to drop Gunter. "Are you okay?" I rubbed my head and sat up.

"Yeah I'm fine. What happened, Cake?" I asked as I got up, trying to regain my balance.

"I tripped over something." Marshall and I went to Cake as she shrunk down and stood next to a chopped down taffy tree.

"You tripped over a stump?" Marshall snickered.

"It's not a stump! Listen." Cake banged on the "stump" and a metal clanging echoed from it. We paused to look at it confused. I brushed off the gummy leaves and bark from the stump to see a metal door protruding from the grass. The three of us gazed at it astounded. It looked like one of those old nuclear bomb bunkers that Cake used to tell me about during bedtime.

"I'm going down." I said.

"No way!" Marshall cried.

"What if the Ice Queen is hiding down there?" I asked.

"If she is, you shouldn't be going alone," Cake said.

_Damn, she's right._

"I can take care of myself. You two take care of Gunter." I was determined to explore what was past the unknown door and completely ignored Cake's reasoning.

Cake and Marshall looked at each other worriedly, but headed off to Marshall's house leaving me alone. I stood there staring at it debating on whether or not to actually go in. The moonlight reflected off the metal hatch and I opened it with a loud clunk. Could this really be where the Ice Queen was hiding?

_It's worth a shot._

I hesitantly swung my leg over the side and started climbing down the ladder. It grew darker and darker until I could only see faint outlines of my hands. I finally felt the bottom so I hopped off the ladder and looked around as well as I could. From what I could tell, it was simply a metal cave full of garbage. The smell was absolutely revolting. I stepped forward and heard the metal thumping of my feet hitting the floor. The temperature was cool, but not nearly cold enough for the Ice Queen to have been there recently. I stopped and tried to listen for any movement whatsoever. Nothing.

_That's kind of disappointing._

I sighed in defeat and turned to head back up the ladder. When I turned around I saw a giant **_breathing_** silhouette hovering over me. I let out a blood curdling scream and the figure followed suit with a low bellow. I reached behind me and pulled out my sword as the figure leapt behind a large pile of trash, leaving me entirely unharmed. I paused for a moment and was a tad confused.

_ Wait a minute. Is he scared of me? Shouldn't I be scared of him?_

"Hello there. What's your name?" I asked uncertainly stepping towards him. The thing continued to crouch in fear watching me not saying anything. "Can you talk?" He let out a small gasp and nodded his head. "My name's Fionna. What's yours?"

"F-f…Fee-oh-nah?"

"Yeah, Fionna. What's your name?" I smiled reassuringly though I'm unsure if he could see me or not. The man crawled up close to me and shrugged his shoulders. "Are there… are there any others like you here?" I asked. He almost nodded, but then shook his head half-way through. I frowned and looked at the figure. He didn't seem to be dangerous, just big. "It must be awfully lonely down here all alone. Do you want to come up with me?" The figure shook his head vigorously. "Why not?"

"Scared."

"The surface isn't that scary, I promise. Follow me." I put my sword away and gently urged him forward by sticking out my hand. The figure paused before taking it and we headed back to the exit. We crawled up the ladder up to the late night air. "I suppose I should give you a name, huh? How about… Sun? Do you like that name?" It was the first name that popped into my head.

_That is not a name; that is a star, dummy._

"Sun like name Sun." He said happily. I grinned and hopped out of hatch. Stan followed after me and I let out a gasp when I finally got a good look at him. He looked a lot like me. Mind you, he was much, much larger, but we looked very similar aside from that. He even had blonde hair escaping from his dog hat. His eyes were emerald and full of curiosity. What looked to be a blue table cloth was wrapped around his body. Though he lived in an underground cave, his skin was surprisingly tan.

"What wrong Fee-oh-nah?" Sun asked looking at me confused.

"Oh. My. Glob."

* * *

><p>Cake and Marshall were waiting patiently inside his house for Fionna.<p>

"Where could she be?" Marshall mumbled. He hadn't wanted to leave her, but the penguin's life depended on it. Marshall nervously chewed his lip and looked to Cake for an answer.

"I'm sure she's fine. Don't worry your pretty, little, undead head about it," Cake teased. She could always sense when her sister was hurt or in danger and she wasn't feeling it so she wasn't worried at all.

Gunter had cooled off and now slept comfortably in Marshall's lap. Just like they thought, he didn't know anything about where the Ice Queen was or what had made her so evil. Half an hour went by and Marshall started to worry.

"What if she was attacked? What if she fell and broke her ankle? What if—"

"Calm down! Glob, I'm her sister and I'm not worried about her so neither should you." Cake interrupted him. Marshall settled down and rubbed Gunter's belly, more to comfort himself than the penguin. Suddenly Fionna burst through the front door, startling Gunter out of his sleep.

"Fi, I was so…" Marshall paused as he finally noticed the scary, towering figure behind his friend.

"Fionna, what the hell is that?!" Cake screamed.

"Guys, I think he's human."


	10. Warped, Crazy, and Entirely Perfect

_MMH: edited 10/14/14. Favorite and review. Do it!_

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><p>"So what do we do with him?" Cake asked. Marshall, Cake, Sun, and I were in Marshall's kitchen. Gunter had fallen back asleep in the living room once everyone had settled down. There was a brief chaotic moment when Sun tried to "defend" me from Marshall when he picked me up and twirled me around. However, that was quickly resolved when Sun caught sight of his own shadow and hid behind me.<p>

I sat next to my newly found friend, who had a giant grin on his face, while Cake anxiously sat on the opposite side of the table and Marshall was looking into his limited supply of food for the guest.

"What do you mean 'what do we do with him'? We put him back where Fi found him. It's as simple as that," Marshall said as he placed a bowl of strawberry ice cream in front of Sun. He looked at the food apprehensively and then looked to me for guidance. I simply nodded and he immediately went face first into the bowl of the dessert.

"But Sun was alone when I found him. What if this is his first social interaction in years? We can't just abandon him." I propped my head with my hand as gazed at him fascinated while he ate. In spite of his gigantic size, Sun was awfully adorable. His eyes sparkled in wonder at each new unknown object he saw. Ice cream dripped from his chin as he shoveled it down his throat. He reminded me of a child, just a really muscular child.

"I can't believe you named him." Marshall mumbled as he sat next to me.

"You're making it sound like he's some creature I found off the street." I whispered harshly.

"It's because he is. Look babe, I get that you feel connected to him because he **_might _**be human, but you have to think this through. He isn't used to our way of living. He attacked me when he thought I was attacking you. For glob sake, he's afraid of his own shadow."

"We can teach him about stuff," I said hopefully. If Sun really was human, I would make sure that he stayed in my life. We were kindred spirits; the last humans ever. Marshall gave me a sympathetic look for a little while and then sighed.

"Fine. He can go through a test run, but if he destroys anything or hurts anyone he's going straight back to that hatch."

I grinned and kissed his cheek as a thank you. I_'ve got him whipped so badly. That's not very fair…_

Marshall wrapped his arm around me and I leaned my head on his shoulder. Sun saw us and stopped eating and glared at Marshall suspiciously.

"No hurt Fee-oh-nah."

"Calm down, buddy. I ain't hurting her."

Sun slowly went back to eating his ice cream, his eyes never leaving Marshall.

"So if we're keeping this big fella, where is he staying?" Cake asked re-entering the conversation.

_Oh crud. I didn't really think that through. Maybe…_

"Marshall?" I tested hopefully.

"No way; I've already got Grumpy Penguin over there staying at my house. This ain't a homeless shelter. Besides, where would I put him?" Marshall defended. I could tell he wasn't going to give up his "man-cave" without a little fight.

"He could stay in the living room with Gunter. Sun could take care of him until he gets better." I said.

"What if Sun accidently hurts him?" Marshall asked.

"Oh please, he wouldn't hurt a fly." I playfully patted Sun's head and he replied with a giant grin. Marshall stared at the two of us unamused and I gave him my puppy-dog eyes. "Please?"

"Fine." Marshall grumbled. I glanced at Cake and smirked when I knew we were thinking the same thing.

_So. Whipped._

It was settled; Gunter and Sun would stay with Marshall while Cake, BMO, and I stayed at the tree house.

Over the next couple weeks, Cake and Sun looked for the Ice Queen during the day while I looked over Gumball and Marshall took care of Gunter. During the night Marshall and I looked for the Ice Queen while Cake took care of Gunter AND Sun. Sun was behaving quite well ever since he started living with Marshall. Even though he didn't seem to like Marshall much, Sun knew that it would make me happy. I felt bad that I had dumped the role of babysitter on Cake so hastily, but she didn't seem to mind much. In fact, her job was almost too easy because Sun was so fascinated with Cake's tail that he would do almost anything that she dared ask. Mind you, I'm pretty sure he would jump off a cliff for me.

"Baby, isn't that cute? Sun's so protective of you!" Cake would squeal from time to time.

Marshall didn't find it cute at all. For the longest time, they didn't trust each other. They would fight over the silliest things; they'd fight over what to eat for supper, what time Sun had to go to bed, but most of the time they'd just fight over anything that remotely related to me. They eventually reached common ground and their rivalry sort of ended, though there continued to be a few fights every now and then. Gunter was also doing much better now that he was in a cooler place. He didn't peck at me when I gave him food and was not a bother, but he wouldn't speak whenever someone tried to talk to him.

_He's probably heartbroken that the Ice Queen deserted him._

I hugged Gunter every now and then hoping to get some sort of reaction, but I never got anything more than a small quack. Whenever I visited Gumball, I would sit in the chair next to him and just talk. I told him about Sun and Gunter; I told him about how healthy he was beginning to look; the only thing I didn't tell him about was Marshall. For some reason, I just didn't have the heart to tell him I was starting to fall for the person he specifically told me to stay away from.

There were some days where I'd bring over BMO and we would all gather in Marshall's living room to have what Cake called "Family Nights". In a way, we were a family; a warped, crazy, entirely perfect family. We would either play a video game or watch a movie, though more often than not it was a movie because BMO was a two-person console. Whenever Sun or BMO picked something to watch they chose cartoons while Marshall, Cake, and I chose to watch either horror or action movies. Gunter rarely participated, but when he did he chose romance movies.

_Funny, I never pegged him as that kind of penguin._

This routine continued for a little while. Gumball, popcorn, movies, Ice Queen and repeat. However, we looked literally everywhere and it seemed like the Ice Queen had just disappeared. Eventually we all stopped looking for her. What else could we have done?

_She has to come out eventually right? She hasn't done anything since the previous kidnappings after all._

At one point, a couple princes stopped hiding and they would come over. Most of the time is was Lumpy Space Prince complaining about how the Ice Queen hadn't captured him yet. Things were starting to settle down. It felt good to relax. I'm not saying that I was growing tired of adventuring, but it was nice to enjoy time with friends without having to worry about saving their asses every now and then. One morning I got this weird feeling in my gut that I to visit Gumball immediately. I changed as quickly as I could and told Cake we were leaving.

"Without breakfast?"

"Breakfast is for the weak, Cake. Now c'mon!" I yelled jokingly.

Marshall kissed me goodbye as Cake and I headed out for the Candy Kingdom. I could tell it sort of bothered him that I left every day to see PG, but I wasn't going to ditch one of my best buds in his time of need for a guy I liked. That just isn't how I function. Besides, today's visit felt important for some reason. I smiled warmly at Marshall as I left and he returned it graciously.

We entered the kingdom and noticed that the place was slowly returning to normal. Citizens seemed less jittery and the guards were way more polite to us as we entered the castle. I made a bee-line for Gumball's room and plopped down into the chair that I had become so accustomed to in the past, what was it, month? Two? It had been so hard to tell in all honesty. My life had fallen into a rut, which I couldn't tell was good or bad. Sunlight snuck in behind the window curtains falling onto Gumball's bed. He was looked completely back to normal. The doctors had taken him entirely off the barbiturate medicine a couple days ago and now we were just waiting for Gumball to wake up.

"Do you think today's the day?" Cake asked entering the room soon after me.

"Yup. I can feel it."

We stared intently at the figure lying in bed looking for any sort of movement. Nothing. Cake and I listened to Gumball's heart monitor beeping, but that was it. There was nothing but Cake, Gumball, and my breathing. And that stupid, repetitive, shrill beeping. It had been hours since we arrived and my hopeful smile turned into a concerned frown.

_Why isn't he waking up?_

Cake looked at me comfortingly, but I turned away from her and back to the figure on the bed.

_ What if he never wakes up? It's all your fault you know._

"Maybe he'll wake up tomorrow." Cake sighed as she got up to leave. I let out a shaky sigh and stood up from my chair. Cake guided me to the door and I looked back and Gumball for one last time. Just as I had almost turned around to leave, I noticed the faintest movement of his eyes trying to flicker open.

"Gumball?" I whispered hopefully.

"Fi?" he said, his voice barely audible. Tears were welling up in my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away.

_I swear to glob, if I miss PG waking up because I was crying I will punch myself in the face._

He moved his head towards me and tried to focus on me.

"W-water." His voice was soft and raspy, but I understood. I grabbed a cup from his bedside table and handed it to him. Gumball placed the cup to his lips and drank from it greedily.

"More." He said a little stronger. Cake ran outside with the cup to get more and to tell the doctor that Gumball was awake. "What…what happened?" he asked confused still trying to focus his eyes on me.

"The Ice Queen kidnapped you and then almost killed you. The doctor says you're lucky to be alive."

_Wow that sounded cliché no matter how true it was._

"That's right." The doctor said as he came in. "You've received several broken bones and other ailments, but they should be fixed in no time." Cake returned with water and Lord Monochromicorn and they both went over to Gumball.

"Now, now, don't crowd around him." The doctor warned. I took that as my cue to quietly step aside for the other two to talk to him. A grin spread across my face and I finally let my tears fall freely.

_He's awake._


	11. Ashleigh

_MMH: edited 10/14/14. Favorite and review... DO IT._

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><p>My face was glowing for the rest of the night. Cake had left for home immediately after we left the hospital to take care of our tree house. We rarely spent any time there anymore. She also left to check on BMO and see that his battery wasn't failing. When I told everyone back to home they were absolutely ecstatic. Though Sun had never met Gumball, he looked almost as I happy as I was when I told him the news. Even Gunter seemed cheerful at the exciting change. Marshall tried to seem happy, but a concerned frown tugged at the corner of his lips.<p>

"Happy news Dad! Be happy," Sun said as he "gently" punched Marshall. Marshall stumbled back and rubbed his arm.

"Alright kiddo, calm down." He teased.

I grinned and gave each of them a kiss. "You guys are so adorable." Both of their faces grew red and they looked away.

"Do you think that the Ice Queen will come out of hibernation now that Gumball's awake?" Marshall rubbed his neck as he tried to change the subject.

"It's entirely possible, but we should probably wait a few days to see if she resurfaces," Gunter said. I nodded and wrapped Marshall in a hug. Everything was perfect.

_Perfection can only last so long, Fionna…_

* * *

><p>Sun, Gunter, and Marshall went out for a "guy's night" after they made sure I was settled down from my exciting day. Glob knows what they were doing, but it was peculiar that Marshall had asked for one of my swords. I paced all throughout the house trying to find something to do, but it was fruitless. They promised to be back later tonight, but I was unbearably bored.<p>

_I never would have thought it would be so hard to do stuff without the guys._

I eventually plopped down on the couch trying to think of something to do, but nothing came to mind. I felt my stomach growl and I walked over to the kitchen.

"Nothing but strawberry ice-cream and tomatoes." I grumbled. I knew that Marshall could only eat red, but it was becoming a pain that I had to as well when I was at his house.

The front door swung open with a loud thwack and I ran to the living room to see a pale teenage girl standing in the doorway. Silver hair cascaded from her head and she was dressed from head to toe in black leather.

"Who are you?" I asked

"Marshy didn't tell you about me? I'm hurt." The girl glided past me and threw herself onto my… err, **_Marshall's_** couch.

"Get out. This is my house." I lied.

"Small world; it's my house too." _Who is this? _

"No it's not."

"I used to live here decades ago. Funny how little it's changed." The girl mused to herself, completely ignoring me.

"I've told you once already. Leave right now or I'll have to hurt you," I said. A loud cackle escaped her lips and it sent shivers down my spine completely ruining my façade of bravery.

"You think you can hurt me? Oh please, I could snap you in half like that," she said and snapped her fingers. "You've got a nice little set up going on here; I would have never thought that Marshall would settle down. And with an adventurer too. You got a family and everything." My eyes grew wide.

"You know who I am?"

"Everyone knows about you, _Fionna_. That includes those in the Nightosphere too." The girl teased. She licked her lips and I shivered when I saw her fangs peek out.

_Shit. She's a vampire._

"Well then you must know that I can kill almost anything."

"You must not know who I am. I'm Ashleigh and I eat weak twerps like you for breakfast." She stepped closer eying me like I was her next meal. I clumsily shuffled backwards trying to figure out where the nearest weapon was.

_My crystal sword is upstairs, my mace is in the bathroom, Marshall has my golden sword…_

The door swung open and I let out a sigh of relief to see my three saviors.

"Marshy!" Ashleigh squealed, her attention completely taken off of me.

"Gunter, Sun. Go upstairs. Now." I whispered gently to the two. Both of them immediately disappeared up the staircase to hide from the intruder as Marshall flashed by my side.

"Get out." He growled.

"Aw baby, don't be that way. Remember the good times we had?" This Ashleigh made my stomach upset.

"There were no good times."

"Oh, pish-posh. Remember when we pillaged the Lumpy Space Kingdom? Remember all those fun nights? Remember that cat we attacked?" Ashleigh's last remark hit me rather hard. I had almost come to terms with the fact that Marshall had attacked my dad. Why did she have to bring that up? Now I liked her even less, which I thought wouldn't be possible.

"The only thing I remember is that you abandoned me when I was captured." Marshall scowled. Ashleigh glided up to him, her lips millimeters away from his.

_ I swear to glob, if she tries to kiss him I'll rip her hair out._

"Marshy, how could you have fallen so far? You had me and now you're slumming it with some human?"

"Leave, Ashleigh. If you ever come back I will tear your throat out."

"Marshy…"

"Stop calling me that. Now get the fuck out."

Ashleigh glared at Marshall then me before transforming into a bat and flying out the door. I immediately slammed the door shut and bolted it. I finally let out a shaky sigh. I looked up to Marshall and noticed that he glared at the door with his teeth bared. A low growl erupted from him and I jumped.

"Marshall?" I asked. He glided up to me and scooped me up into his arms as we ascended the stairs.

_ That's sort of unnecessary._

I glanced up at Marshall and noticed the small frown on his face as he looked forward.

"Marshall?"

"Mhm?"

"What's wrong?" I asked. Sun and Gunter looked up when we entered his bedroom. They weren't far from the door and had probably been listening.

"You may leave," Marshall said coldly. The two didn't need to be told twice. Once they returned downstairs Marshall slammed the door shut with his foot. "How dare Ashleigh. I can't believe that bitch would show up."

"Sorry." I scrambled out of Marshall's arms.

Ever since I met Marshall, I kept second-guessing myself. I had always been the kind of person to not worry, but now what was happening? What was I even supposed to say in a scenario like this? _Stupid girly-feelings._

"Don't be sorry. If anything I should have told you about her sooner so you would have been prepared." He sat on his bed running his fingers through his hair. "You really shouldn't leave. She could still be out there." _Are you insinuating that I can't handle myself? _"Not around her. She's tougher than she looks." Marshall replied.

I looked what I could only assume to be a mixture of horror and confusion.

"I've known you long enough that you're impeccably easy to read." He smirked. "Come here. I'll bring you home tomorrow." I stood at the foot of the bed hesitantly.

_I'm going to sleep in his bed. No big deal. Just… play it cool. _I climbed in and rested my head on Marshall's chest. The faint pitter-patter of his heartbeat tickled my eardrum as I felt his fingers play with my hair. _How can someone just__** make**__ a heart?_

"How did Gumball make your heart, like, what's it made of?" I asked quickly, turning up to see his reaction.

"I dunno. That's an odd question." He looked down at me curiously.

"I know. I'm just a little curious. Aren't you?"

"Nah, I've never been the type into schiency stuff."

_ He isn't curious in the tiniest bit?_

"Oh, okay," I said. Marshall's face quickly returned to the frown, which bothered me. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine; just thinking," he said nonchalantly.

"About what?"

"Nothing; don't worry about it." I was tempted to press further, but let it go.

_Remember what happened last time you stuck your nose in someone else's business?_

"I love you." I said as I kissed him on the nose. Marshall grinned and gave me a peck on the lips.

"I love you too." He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled his head in my neck. I held his head and giggled when he starting kissing my throat. It had always been my weak spot and Marshall knew it.

"That isn't the reaction I wanted." He teased. He opened his mouth slightly and began to suck on my neck. I accidentally let out a moan and blushed deeply. His smirk grew wider when he heard me and continued to suck gently on my neck. I felt his hand creep up the hem my shirt and my breathing grew uneven. I pulled my lips to mine and our tongues danced around each other. There was a gentle tapping on the door as just as things were starting to get heavy.

"Fee-oh-nah I am scare-d." We heard from the other side of the door.

"Are you fucking serious?" Marshall grumbled as he pulled himself away. I fixed my disheveled clothes and ran to the door. Marshall rolled onto his side and threw on the covers grumpily.

_Marshall is such a baby._ I smirked.

"Why are you scared?" I asked as I opened the door to see the giant figure holding an old teddy bear that Marshall used to have in his room.

"I had a nightmare."

_His speech lessons with Marshall are paying off._

"Aw I'm sorry sweetie. Do you want me to tuck you in and sing a lullaby?" I asked. He nodded and we headed downstairs to the living room. "What was your dream about?" I asked sitting at the foot of Sun's pull-out bed.

"I-I dream that you-u died. Dad tried to save you, b-but he couldn't." Sun sniffled a little and I could tell he was about to cry. My face sank into a small frown when I saw how much his dream had upset him. He had grown so accustomed to our family life, and I had too.

_Was this because of Ashleigh?_

My life had become so used to my family of friends that I completely forgot that it would eventually end. But I had to be strong in front of Sun. I had to show him that there was nothing to be scared of.

"I promise I won't die anytime soon." I smiled reassuringly.

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now close your eyes and go to bed."

He snuggled underneath a blanket that was far too small for him. The only thing that was covered by it was his torso. Sun listened patiently as I sang, but I hadn't even gotten to the second verse by the time he was asleep. A smile appeared on his lips and I watched him sleep for a little bit. I eventually grabbed another blanket to put on his legs before going up to bed myself.

"What was the big guy afraid of?" Marshall asked when I re-entered the room. He was lying on his back staring up at the ceiling.

"Oh it's nothing, really," I said as I climbed into bed.

"What was it?" He repeated curiously. I faltered, unsure of his reaction.

"He just had a nightmare that I died." I tried my best to brush it off. Marshall wrapped his arms around me and placed his chin on top of my head.

"He's got nothing to worry about. I would never let you die."


	12. Feeling Trapped

_M.M.H: Hello again! I am so sorry that I've been unable to post for a while, but summer is just around the corner! Hopefully that means that I'll be able to post much more often. So anyways, don't forget to review after you..._

_Marshall: (suddenly kicks the dorm room door open and stalks over) Hey you!_

_M.M.H: Eep! (tries to run away)_

_Marshall: Get back here! (picks MMH by the shirt collar) What the tom-fuckery is this? (points to computer)_

_M.M.H: What? The story? What's wrong with it?_

_Marshall: Not this one! The new one. I hardly think that... (M.M.H slaps Marshall)_

_M.M.H: It's supposed to be a surprise you jack-ass! You can't just blurt it out! (Marshall drops M.M.H and rubs his cheek) Where was I? Oh yes! Don't forget to leave a review after you read. It'll make me super-duper happy!_

_Marshall: (mumbles) Meanie..._

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><p>Once I was awake, Marshall instantly took me home to "keep me safe". The sun hadn't even risen yet. I personally did not see the point in going home but Marshall was adamant. If Ashleigh wanted to find me she would no matter what. Anyways, I didn't need to be kept safe by hiding away; I could handle myself. I sat in the kitchen and scratched away the surface of the old wooden table with my fingernail. Wax that protected the wood from age and damage came off in curls and I gently brushed them off onto the floor. Now that the Ice Queen had disappeared from the radar, a new threat known as Ashleigh appeared.<p>

_Great._

"The Ice Queen hasn't tried to kill anyone else. I wonder what she's planning." Cake sat down next to me and took a sip of her coffee. My nose scrunched at the smell of burnt cocoa beans and I stuck out my tongue in disgust. I had never been much of a coffee person and that smell was not helping. Coffee was for adults and I was no adult.

It had been almost three months since the Ice Queen made her last move and a week since Ashleigh made her appearance. No more princes had been captured, though none had been returned either; it seemed like she was planning something different than what I originally believed.

"Maybe she died." I said hopefully as I continued to attack the table with my nail. It felt a little unsettling staying in my own home. I had grown so comfortable at Marshall's, but now I was thrust back into my own, strangely alien house. The walls looked different than they had before. _Did Cake paint them or something?_ I continued to gaze around and noticed the walls weren't the only things that were different. In place of our old dull-brown couch was a new, neon orange one. _She redecorated too?_

"I wouldn't count on it. She's probably just waiting for the opportune moment. Stop doing that to the table would you?" Cake replied and I dropped my hands in defeat.  
>She plopped some sugar in her cup of coffee and stirred. The metal spoon clinked on the sides of the china and my eye twitched involuntarily. Our conversation was finished, but there was still so much noise in the house. I looked over to the grandfather clock and I swear its ticking became louder and louder. Birds chirped outside, taunting me with their freedom.<p>

_Clink. Tick-tock. Chirp. Chirp. Tick-tock. Clink. Clink. Chirp. Chirp. Tweet. Tick-tock._

I couldn't take it anymore. I deal with people shouting, swords clanging, anything but this. I instantly stood up, my chair flinging backwards. I absolutely refused to stay in the house any longer.

"I think I'll go visit PG." I said, excited at my newfound idea of escape.

"Marshall said to stay here." Cake glanced up at me boredly as she took another sip of her coffee.

"Well Marshall isn't here, now is he? Besides I can take care of myself." A sigh escaped my feline friend's lips as she watched me fling my backpack over my shoulder and race out the door.

The sunlight beamed through Gumball's curtains directly into my eyes as I glanced down at a bowl of mysterious green soup that rested in his lap. He wore a massive smile and his lips never stopped moving as he attempted to catch up on current events in the land of Ooo. I gave up on attempting to make him eat his soup a long time ago.

"Has the Ice Queen been found? Have any other princes been captured? Are you still mad at Marshall Lee? Is Lord Monochromicorn doing okay?" I had completely forgotten how much PG had missed while he was asleep. It had been months.

"Not yet, no, no, and he is doing a-okay. Cake is constantly doting over him so you don't have anything to worry about."

"You're talking to Marshall Lee again?" Gumball's face drooped into a concerned frown. I let out a small exasperated sigh and nodded. I knew that he going to start scolding me.

"Fionna I'm so disappointed. I thought you knew better." I took the bowl of soup out of his hands and dropped it on the bedside table with a clunk.

"You make it sound like he's some murdering hooligan."

"That is because he was. Just because I made a heart for him doesn't mean that he can't still revert back to his original form." Gumball said as he grabbed fistfuls of the bed sheet.

"He's doing the best he can!"

"I knew it was going to happen, but I thought that I could prevent it…" he said as his eye halfway glazed over. It looked as if he was looking back on a memory and not at me.

"Prevent what?" I cut him off.

"You're just so fragile, Fi." Gumball said disregarding my question.

"I'm not fragile!" Why did everyone think I was weak? I'm an adventurer damn it!

"You are compared to him. I'm just saying you have to be careful."

"Fine. Whatever." He was treating me like a child. I was not a child. I was younger than him, but not by much._ Just because he rules a freaking kingdom does not mean he can boss me around._ An awkward silence filled the room and I sat there trying to distract myself. I decided that picking at my cuticles was the best solution. Gumball released the bed sheet from his death grip and smoothed out the wrinkles.

"Wait, I've been out for three months you said?" My head shot up when he asked that question, thankfully destroying the quietness. I nodded my head and looked at him warily trying to figure out why he asked. "Your birthday is coming up, is it not?" I thought about it and my birthday was only a few days away.

"Oh… yeah, I guess it is." I mumbled and blushed. Most people counted down the days till their birthday, but I had completely lost track.

"Well then, let's forget all this crazy mess for a little bit and plan your party!" It was entertaining to watch Gumball go from angry to ecstatic all within a matter of a couple seconds. Although it was difficult to tell if he did it to distract from the awkwardness or it was just his personality. Either way, it brought a small smile to my face.

I hung my body upside down on the couch that evening trying to entertain myself. I had become incredibly restless from all the "family time" so I didn't want to walk to Marshall's house to be tackled by Gunter and Sun. However I didn't necessarily want to stay in my own house either. Gumball had eagerly dismissed me so the final touches of my birthday party would be a surprise and Cake went over to the Candy Kingdom to spend time Mo-chro. They hadn't seen each other that often since Gumball had awoken and I hated keeping them apart. _This sucks. If I don't do something adventure-related my head will explode. _The sun finally decided to set as I continued to wallow in my boredom. I started feeling that anxiety that I felt earlier that day and I did not like it one bit. I longed for the freedom that I hadn't experienced in months. How much longer could I put up with this?

"Wanna go on an adventure?" Marshall said next to me on the couch appearing out of nowhere. I was startled by his sudden appearance, but also at his ability to know what I was thinking.

"How'd you get in?" I screamed in surprise.

"The front door." He said as if it were obvious, which it kind of was. "So what about it?"

"What about Gunter and Sun?"

"Gunter's watching Sun and Sun's watching Gunter. No biggie." I looked at him suspiciously, but Marshall's mouth was still formed in an ever-smug smile.

"I thought you wanted to keep me safe."

"Where's the safest place in the world aside from my arms?"

"I guess it couldn't hurt. What do you have in mind?"

That night I finally got some long-needed fighting. We only fought against some tiny trolls, but it felt good to use my sword again. It was slightly embarrassing when I realized how rusty I had become; Marshall didn't seem to notice, but I did. Marshall and I walked back to his house holding hands when he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh shit." I heard Marshall whisper.

"What? What's wrong?" The front door swung open and a lady sat legs daintily crossed on the couch grinning back at us. Her long, black hair laid flat against her perfect, pale skin. She wore a purple pin-striped ladies business suit and black high heels. Though my eyesight wasn't perfect in the darkness, I could see her red pupils and sparkling fangs quite clearly.

_ She's so pretty._

"What are you doing here?" Marshall stood up and growled threateningly.

I tried to step out to greet the woman, but he held my shoulder down and stood in front of me.

"I just came for a visit; I haven't seen you in twenty years, after all. That giant _**thing**_ and the deliciously evil penguin upstairs said you were out for a little while so I here I am."

"Leave."

"You've become quite the family man. Is this your girlfriend?" the woman said as she stood up to get a better look at me, ignoring my boyfriend's threats. I peeked from behind Marshall and saw an unsettling smile creep onto the woman's face.

"Mom…" Marshall started.

_Mom?_

"Whatever happened to Ashleigh? Didn't you two live here together?" his mother asked politely, cutting off her son in the process.

"Mom!"

"Oh, don't worry sweetie. This one is much prettier." I smiled and was about to thank her when she said something else. "But she's got that gross human smell on her. I'd fix that if I were you."

"Leave before I make you leave."

"Marshie, that is no way to speak to your mother."

"I don't care. Get the fuck away before I toss you back into the Nightosphere."

"Fine." The woman snarled. "Take care of the Ice Queen while you still can. And Ashleigh has been causing a ruckus in the Nightosphere. Fix that too, would you?" She said right before she walked to the door and slammed it, shaking the entire house in the process.

"Was… that your mom?" I asked cautiously.

_Duh. He just said 'Mom'. Twice._

"What did she mean by taking care of the Ice Queen 'while we still can'?"

"No clue." _There is so much I don't know about Marshall's life. I didn't even know vampires could __**have**__ parents. Should I be worried about what she said? _

Marshall didn't seem too concerned so I attempted to brush the thought out of my head, but I simply couldn't.

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><p><em>M.M.H: Ooh, first Ashleigh now Marshall's mama! I wonder what's gonna go down at Fi's birthday party, if anything <strong>does<strong> go down that is. When will the Ice Queen be stopped? I also decided to change to format from one sentence per line to paragraphs. Should I change it back or leave it as is? Don't forget to review with your thoughts and opinions!_


	13. Happy Birthday to Me

_MMH: Lucky chapter 13! Whoohoo! I also recently got my sixtieth review!...Whoohoo! I'll admit I was busy with finishing school and getting a summer job, so my mind kind of gave up on this briefly. Plus I'm writing another story which I might end up deleting all together because it's super frustrating. BUT as I was doing my menial job of filing and stapling (oh yeah, livin' the dream) I was struck with inspiration and I've gotten the main plot for the next couple chapters! Before you get all snooty, I know what I wanted to do with the story from the beginning, but the details were a little iffy... *Sigh* I was going to make this one longer, but it would have taken **forever** to finish. So I'm just leaving you this little chapter to let you know I'm back and I'm back with a vengeance! Also if you'd kindly look back at the first few chapters, you'll notice that I edited them. For the most part it's just format stuff, but I did add in a few minor details. Now read this chapter and review!_

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><p>I leaned against a pillar bored out of my mind as everyone was getting ready for my birthday party. I was pulled out of bed at seven in the morning just so my prince friend could make sure I was happy with the decorations picked out. I didn't even have time to grab my backpack or my sword or anything. Marshall and Gunter stayed behind to get some last minute presents while Cake and Sun came with me. PG wanted the party at the Candy Kingdom so it could hold all candy people that would come since the tree house was hardly large enough for that many people. Plus he could stand but couldn't really travel long distances yet and I didn't want him pushing it. Since it <strong><em>was<em> **my birthday, Gumball even decided it was alright for Marshall to attend as long as he "remained under constant supervision".

"Party, party, party, party…" Sun sang as he shifted from foot to foot watching all the decorations being put up.

"Yup it's gonna be so fun! All Fionna's friends will be there. There'll be you, Gunter, me, Marshall Lee, and all of the candy people." Cake said as she hung one of the thousands of streamers. The castle had been covered head to toe with decorations for my party; there were balloons, a dj booth, a small stage, lots of streamers, a disco ball, and even an ice statue of me posing epically with my sword. _Gumball sure does go all-out for parties. Too bad I don't actually have my sword with me right now._

"Candy?" Sun said excitedly and began to drool.

"No honey, you can't eat them. They're candy _**people**_." she said as she patted his arm. A small frown appeared on Sun's face.

"That's right buddy, don't eat any candy that can scream." I said. A small whine escaped his lips and I looked to Gumball for reassurance.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure that there will be some candy that you _**can**_ eat." PG offered and at that the grin instantly reappeared on the giant's face. I shifted my weight uncomfortably and sighed. I needed to be doing something. Anything.

"Want me to help with the decorations?" I asked.

"Nope. Everything is under control." Gumball comforted.

"Then can I go home until the party?"

"What? No way! You have to stay here and make sure everything looks good."

"So… you want me to look at the decorations but not actually touch them."

"Right." I groaned and slide down the pillar and waited for my friends to finish.

Just as the sun set the party got started. Everyone shuffled into the ballroom and hilarity ensued. The lights were dimmed and the disco ball threw tiny fragments of light everywhere. Many of the people danced awkwardly to the music and some just ate the food that was set out. However Cinnamon Bun decided it would be a good idea to tackle my ice statue. It smashed into pieces and they all skidded across the floor. I didn't really mind that much, but Gumball was livid.

"Cinnamon Bun! Get out before you break anything else!"

"Chill out Gummy. She's just having fun. It's what you're supposed to do at parties." I turned towards the voice from behind and smiled at my boyfriend.

"Marshall!" I hugged my boyfriend and Gumball politely excused himself.

"Hey, birthday girl." he grinned down at me. "I got you something." He pulled a small box from behind his back. The wrapping was very awkwardly done, but it was still a nice gesture.

"Ooh for me? You shouldn't have." I replied jokingly.

"Just open it." I did and I pulled out a necklace. It was a hug-wolf fang on a thin silver chain. He gestured for me to turn around so I did and he put it around my neck.

"It's a family heirloom. I never wear it so I thought you'd like it."

"Thanks." I smiled. "Speaking of family, why did your mom tell you to bite me? Is there some law that says you can only marry a vampire?"

"No not at all, but you know how mothers can get. They always find some sort of flaw with their son's girlfriend." I didn't really know, but I didn't say anything. This was the first real mother-son relationship I had ever seen for such an extended period of time. PG's mom had been mysteriously absent ever since I started hanging out with him. The same went for all the other guys I knew, except for Lord Mo-chro. I met his mother briefly when Cake and I pretended we were monochromicorns, but even during that short period of time I noticed how much Mo-chro meant to his mom. It made me kind of envious.

"You don't seem to like her very much." I stated. Marshall frowned slightly and looked down at the floor.

"Yeah."

"Any particular reason why?"

"It's kind of a long story." He said turning towards the party and refused to look me in the eye.

"How long?"

"About four hundred years."

"Only four hundred?" I joked. Marshall didn't smile and I quickly became serious. "Marshall, I may not know much about vampires or your family in general, but I think you should try to make up with her."

"Why?" he snapped. I knew he didn't mean to be rude to me so I brushed it off.

"Well, you only get one mom. I never knew my real mom and though I did have one to love and care for me, it felt weird. It felt weird to know that I had a mother, but she left. I know it's not like your mom will go away or anything, but you should show her you still love her. I'm sure she's trying to reconcile, but just doesn't know how." I turned towards the mob of guests dancing underneath pink streamers and pink balloons. I smiled slightly and rolled my eyes at the decorations— even though he knew me since I was three, Gumball refused to believe that I hated the color pink. I heard a long huff next to me and Marshall broke the silence between us.

"If it means that much to you I'll talk to her, but who knows how long it'll be until she comes around again."

"Can't you go see her?"

"I could, but I'm not exactly welcome at the Nightosphere."

"Why?"

"Well when I got a heart, I left the Nightosphere for good. I was and still am the king of the Nightosphere and the people didn't appreciate being left high and dry." I would have continued my conversation with Marshall if Cake hadn't interrupted.

"Fionna I need your help! Gunter's drunk of his ass, Sun's probably gonna get diabetes from all the candy he's eating, and I can't find BMO anywhere!" I sighed. Some people were crazy at parties. I looked to Marshall hopefully and he nodded, silently agreeing we'd finish the conversation later.

"You help Gunter, Marshall will stop Sun from eating any more junk food, and I'll find BMO." We all went our separate ways and I was grateful I got the easiest job. _**Or so I thought.**_ I looked in every room of the kingdom but I couldn't find my little game station anywhere. After thirty minutes of searching with no success I decided to look outside. _He couldn't have gotten very far considering his short little legs._ I descended the stairs and managed to exit without being mobbed by guests. I opened the door and saw my little buddy perched on the wall with his back turned.

"BMO! There you are dude." Without turning around, he leapt from the wall and made a mad dash for the Evil Forest a few hundred yards away. "Wait, where are you going?" It was dangerous for a little computer to go out all alone in the dark. Even if he didn't technically have feelings and therefor couldn't get hurt, I was still worried. I stepped away from the castle and continued in the direction where BMO was headed, but he was surprisingly quick. I soon found myself having to sprint to keep up. "Hey! Come back! We have to go back to the party!" BMO suddenly stopped once we were a few feet from the forest and I slowed down to catch my breath. "Geez buddy, what's with you?" Long thick vines shot out from the darkness and wrapped around my ankles, pulling me from my feet. I didn't have my sword with me so I tugged at the vines, but it was pointless; they were just too strong. The vines dragged me through the forest and I felt rocks and roots scratch at my back.

"I've got you Fionna." A cackle came from nowhere and I shuddered. Knowing I was doomed, I did the only thing I could think of; I screamed.

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><p>Fionna had been gone for almost an hour and Marshall was beginning to get testy. All of the candy people had glared daggers at him ever since she'd left. Sun and Gunter weren't much company since they were out of their minds from alcohol and sugar. Even Cake, whom he often felt uncomfortable around, would have been a good companion if she weren't hanging around her boyfriend at that moment.<p>

"How long does it take to find a tiny computer anyways?" he whispered to himself. The music died down and PG got up on stage. Everyone looked at him expectantly and Marshall was a tad jealous. Why couldn't _**he**_ entice people with his behavior alone?

"Thank you for coming out and making this such a wonderful party! Is everyone having a good time?" the crowd cheered and Gumball chuckled. "All right everybody, calm down. We know why we're all here. Now where is the birthday girl?" Gumball said smiling up on the stage. After the applause died out came an uncomfortable silence and questioning glances. "Fionna? Does anyone see Fionna?" everyone began to murmur and Marshall looked around nervously.

"Fi?" the vampire yelled, his voice quivering slightly. There was no response and he tried to calm himself. _Maybe she just went out for some air?_ Quickly but calmly, Marshall ran outside. "Fionna, come inside. Gumball wants you to come on stage so we can sing a birthday song." He shouted but heard no response. Suddenly a scream came from the Evil Forest and his blood froze. _Shit._

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><p><em>MMH: Who could have kidnapped Fionna? Ashleigh? The Ice Queen? Could it even be Marshall's mom? Oh, and quick question. Do you guys think I should make the Flame Prince a bigger character? So far he's just been kidnapped and I've been kicking the idea about of making him more prominent in the story. I know he's not technically in Adventure Time, but whatever. Don't forget to review!<em>


	14. Get Ready to Die

_MMH: Haha! Didn't think I'd be back so soon, did you? I know this one is a tad short, but it's either shorter chapters sooner or longer chapters that take a million years to get out. The next chapter will be hopefully longer. I was so happy about the lovely reviews I got for last chapter! For those who haven't been reviewing, please review. I look at all of them and it means the world that I get to hear your thoughts. I even have it so that you can write anonymous reviews so there is no excuse! I'd also like to take this time to- (Marshall walks in)_

_Marshall: What are you doing?_

_MMH: What do you mean?_

_Marshall: You're procrastinating._

_MMH: No I'm not! (Marshall glares) Fine I am. Read this and don't forget to leave a review. Oh and P.S. This chapter is kind of bloody._

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><p>My back itched with new cuts and I could tell several bruises were starting to form. My hands were behind my back tied with what I assumed to be the vines that pulled me here. I opened my eyes and instantly shut them due to the throbbing pain in the back of my head. It felt like I had been hit with a giant boulder.<em> I don't remember getting knocked out… Let's see, I was pulled by some vines, I screamed, and then what? <em>I tried to think back to what I last remembered. _**"A cackle came from nowhere and I shuddered. Knowing I was doomed, I did the only thing I could think of; I screamed. The vines began to pull even quicker and I felt my body collide with a large tree, effectively knocking me out."**_ _Well, that would do it._ I cautiously opened my eyes again and saw nothing but darkness, but my eyes quickly adjusted thanks to light of the full moon. I had been placed against the cliffs facing towards the water. The forest was perched just above me. Sand rubbed against my legs as I tried to shift into a more comfortable position. I hated the beach. There were so many dangers at the beach; drowning, sharks, riptides, broken seashells stabbing you in the foot. However, the drowning issue was the main problem for me. There was one time where Cake tried to make me conquer my fear, but it didn't turn out to well. I ended up throwing her in and running like hell. I was pulled from my contemplations when I noticed a silhouette moving towards me and I tried my best to seem intimidating.

"Ice Queen!" I yelled catching her attention. She looked down at me and a daunting smile crept upon her face. I glanced to her hand and noticed that she held a sharp knife pointed directly at me.

"Oh good, you're awake. I was worried that little accident killed you. I wanted that honor."

"Since when do you have plant powers?" I nodded my head to my hands that were behind my back and I heard her giggle.

"I don't, but I do have a friend who gave me this wonderful spell to control nature."

"Since when do you have friends?" The Ice Queen's expression darkened and I felt the temperature drop.

"You watch your mouth."

"Why did you capture all those princes if you only ever wanted me dead? Weren't you going to marry Gumball?" I asked angrily. All of the guilt I felt from not saving them could have been avoided if she had just captured me to begin with. It was stupid to ask for a reason for her madness, but she provided one nonetheless.

"Of course! What made you think I would marry anyone less? Unfortunately, he was less than excited. I only kidnapped the other princes to increase the chances of luring you out. I was going to kill them once you were dead anyways, but you didn't even try to find them. It hurt my feelings you know, but then I remembered you loved Gumball just as much as I did. When you didn't save him I was about ready to give up, but then I saw what a lovely little family you had made. You were once such a thorn in my side, but you're such a bore now that you're some vampire's blood bank. You became such a little housewife and it was almost too easy to trick you. Love makes a person weak; thankfully I learned that before I was caught up like you." I winced when I shifted and felt a sharp rock jab my hand, but then an idea popped into my head. I had to keep distracting her.

"I don't understand. You've always been about marrying a prince." I rubbed the binds against the rock as inconspicuously as I could, praying they would break. All I needed was a few more minutes and then I would be free. The Ice Queen turned around towards the ocean and admired the dagger she held in the moonlight.

"That was the old me; the pathetic me. My past was holding me back. All I have now is my crown. All I _**need**_ is my crown. Gumball was going to hold me back so he had to go. I don't need anyone." Finally I felt the vines snap and I leapt at the Ice Queen while her back was turned. I honestly didn't know what I thought I was going to do; I didn't have my sword or any sort of weapon. She must have sensed me coming at her because she whirled around and clutched me by the throat. _Damn, I'm rusty._ She floated up high into the air with her nails digging into my throat. "I once was jealous of you. I can't believe how stupid I was."

"At least I won't die alone." Her face contorted into a scowl as mine grew into a smirk.

"You obnoxious little brat!" She threw me towards the cliffs, clawing out a chunk of my throat in the process. My body smashed against the stone and I heard a crack from a few of my ribs breaking. I slumped down to the ground and I couldn't move. My limbs refused to move and my head felt like it might explode from pressure. I tried to let out a witty retort, but nothing came out except a weird gurgling noise. My throat burned as I felt warm liquid seep through my shirt. I glanced down to see a thick dark river of blood drip down my chest onto the ground. My blood pooled and slowly seeped into the sand, staining it a dark red. This was not good.

"Once that vampire bimbo told me you were having a little birthday bash everything just fell into place. What was her name again?" she thought to herself, visibly amused to see me in such a fragile state. _Ashleigh?_

"A-ah…" was all I could manage to get out until all my words turned into nothing but bubbles of blood forming at the back of my throat.

"Ah right, Ashleigh. I should send that vampire bitch a 'thank-you' basket." I felt my lungs begin to fill with blood and my eyesight started to blur. Every breath I tried to take shook my whole body and I knew that was it. I was doomed the moment I had left the party. _I'm gonna die on my birthday? Man, this sucks…_

"Fionna!" I heard someone shout and I struggled to focus on the reddish-bluish figure advancing towards me. By the time that my vision cleared to see that it was Marshall, he was tackled to the ground by the Ice Queen. I heard a clanging of my sword hitting right beside me. She had him pinned down and I watched in horror as she lifted one arm to stab his chest with the dagger. Revived with newfound energy, I grabbed my sword and sprinted towards the two. She had her back to me once again and I used every ounce of drive I had to shove my sword into her side.

"Stay the fuck away from my boyfriend." The Ice Queen hissed and grabbed her side, rolling off of Marshall in the process. Her blue blood seeped through her fingers and poured onto the ground. She clumsily stood up before flying into a cave that was still on the beach. I grinned triumphantly at my accomplishment before the adrenaline rush wore off just as quickly as it had arrived. Marshall managed to catch me just before I hit the ground.

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><p>The vampire looked down at the dying girl in his arms. She looked absolutely awful. Her formerly blue shirt was now dyed red and dark rings circled around her eyes. She had always been pale, but her complexion was now deathly white. He had brought one of her swords knowing that she was in danger, but he thought he could have saved her.<p>

"You idiot, you know that wouldn't have killed me." he said fighting back tears as Fionna began to get heavier. There was no possible way that he could bring her to Gumball alive in time.

"I-I know... I just wanted… to go out on a high note." She whispered and smiled weakly.

"Fi stay awake, okay? I'll get you some help." Slowly her eyelids drooped to a close and Marshall let out a shaky breath. "NO!" he screamed. Marshall shook the limp body, but got no reaction. For a moment there was nothing but the sound of his sobs and the waves crashing against the shore. Suddenly the vampire let out a gasp and felt the side of her throat that wasn't ripped open. "Don't worry. I know what to do."

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><p><em>Yup. I killed Fionna. I just killed my main character. Whatcha gonna do? Don't worry she's not dead... Wait. Never mind. She's dead. Why did you think there was "die" in the title? But the story must (and will) go on! Now let the hate mail commence! On second thought, please don't sent me hate mail. I promise things will work out.<em>


	15. Surgery

_MMH: Hi guys! This is the longest chapter so far. Aren't you excited? _ Even the first chapter of my Inuyasha story was shorter (though not by much). _Thanks to all who have reviewed/favorited this story so far. That Mr. Mookenstein is as quick as a whip- He was the only one who mentioned that Fi would need a heart. Oh, I feel I should tell you that my internet died literally right as I uploaded the document and I let out a cry of anger. Like I actually screamed. I'm pretty sure I woke the neighbors... but I stayed up until I fixed it. Because I love you. Plus I'm just really stubborn. Anyways don't forget to review after you read!_

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><p>Marshall burst through the front doors with the dying Fionna in his arms. All of the party guests fled and hid behind doors or pillars watching him in awe. One of the guards noticed Marshall approaching and immediately started running to Gumball's private quarters to inform the prince. Marshall continued forward ignoring the glares and horror-struck eyes following him. They probably thought he had done this to her.<p>

A trail of Fionna's blood followed him and it took everything he had not to lick it up. He hadn't had red from human blood in so long. Perhaps if he… No. He was better than that. Marshall burst through Gumball's bedroom door followed by dozens of guards and hundreds of candy people.

"Gumball!" he turned around and gasped at the weak woman draped across the vampire's arms. "I didn't know what to do. It's just that she was losing so much blood and I, I panicked." Gumball ran over to Marshall and carefully inspected Fionna. Her once pristine outfit was tattered and blood-soaked and her skin was a light shade of grey.

"What happened to her?"

"The Ice Queen attacked her. She was about to die and I had to do something so I bit her." Gasps spread throughout the crowd. Marshall had expected that reaction and would have been irritated if the situation were less serious. Gumball looked down and finally noticed two little holes on Fionna's neck. His face turned from worry into anger almost instantly.

"You what? Guards take Fionna down to the dungeon right now and make sure she is thoroughly secured. Marshall, stay here. Everyone else get out." Gumball spat. Two big guards came up and snatched Fionna from Marshall's hands as the candy citizens almost immediately dispersed. Marshall heard Cake choke out a sob before Lord Monochromicorn swept her away upstairs. Gunter and Sun stood waiting right by the door. "You two as well."

"But we gotta save Fee-oh-nah!" Sun blubbered.

"We will. Just wait outside and I'll be right there." Marshall reassured the two. As soon as they left, Gumball glared at the vampire standing across from him in his bedroom.

"Are you stupid?" the prince shouted, rattling the windows. Marshall wasn't used to Gumball being so angry. In fact, he had rarely seen any emotion come from the prince.

"What do you mean?"

"Why would you turn Fionna? Do you not remember how dangerous normal vampires are?"

"But I had to save her. She was dying." It took all Marshall had to not start yelling. Had Gumball not understood? Fionna was going to _**die**_.

"You didn't save her. You condemned her." Those words cut deep. Had he really condemned her?

"But then you can save her! Give her a heart."

"If I start making a heart, it may take Glob knows how long. Untainted human cells are one the key substances, but they've been in low supply for a while. They are almost impossible to come by."

"What's so special about regular human cells?" Marshall asked in an irritated tone. They were wasting precious time while Fionna could be getting a heart.

"After the Mushroom War, a vast majority of human DNA was mutated to unstable conditions. I've tried using other cells, but pure human DNA was the first test to be successful for this experiment. I swear sometimes you are so incompetent." Gumball was quite brave for throwing that many insults at him. If it had been anyone but him or Fionna, Marshall would have ripped their heads off without a second thought.

"Well, how'd you get the stuff for my heart?" Marshall heard the prince let out a soft sigh. Gumball placed his hands in his desk and hung his head. That was not a good sign.

"That is unfortunately not an option." He was almost inaudible.

"Why?"

"Think about it." Gumball demanded. Marshall had a confused scowl on his face as he tried to think. Was there something he was missing?

"What?" he asked.

"Who was thought to be the last human in Ooo for the past seventeen years?" Once Gumball said that, it hit him. He really was stupid, wasn't he? He had a heart because of _**her**_.

"You hurt her?" Marshall hissed.

"Not at all; all we needed was a small sample. It was just a pinprick." Gumball said, brushing off Marshall's heated glare. "Why do you think you're so drawn to her? You pretty much have a mini Fionna beating in your chest. Regrettably now that there no more humans, there is no way that I can make a heart for her." An idea popped Marshall's head.

"What about Sun?"

"Is he human?"

"I think so. He doesn't look mutated or anything."

"It's worth a shot." PG admitted. The vampire was just about to open the door to get Sun when Gumball stopped him. "Marshall, if Sun isn't human then I'll have to do something drastic."

"By drastic you mean?"

"I mean that if we can't get human DNA we'll have to… _eradicate_ Fionna." Gumball often used big words that Marshall didn't understand, but he understood that one.

"You will not touch her." Marshall growled.

"Be realistic, would you? Think about how cruel you were. How cruel Ashleigh is. Fionna will be not the same girl you knew. We can't have another monster running around." The vampire felt his cold blood boil. How could he have said something like that to Fionna? How dare he. Before he could think, Marshall had tackled Gumball to the floor and his hand was grasping his throat.

"Fionna is not a monster! She saved your life, but you won't get off your lazy ass to save hers?" His fingers tightened and Gumball tried desperately to free himself.

"Mar-Marshall. Can't. Breathe."

"Listen here you squishy, pink weakling. You _**will**_ make a heart for Fionna, you _**will**_ work nonstop until it's done, and you _**will**_ _**not**_ call her or me a monster ever again. Got it?" Gumball nodded and Marshall released him from his grip. "Funny how people are afraid of me when you're the person they should be cowering from. You are willing to kill someone who is supposedly your best friend."

"Fionna is my best friend. In fact, she's one of the few people I've ever loved, but—" Marshall tensed when he heard Gumball say "love". Gumball loved Fionna? What did he mean by that? Like family love or truly love? He quickly brushed off the thought; if Gummy did love Fionna then he would have been with her from the beginning. _Right?_ "—I have to do what's best for my kingdom; what's best for Ooo. I don't want to hurt her, but I can't let my feelings get in the way from keeping my people safe." Gumball finished. Marshall was awfully close to beating him to a gooey, gummy pulp but fought the urge.

"Whatever. I'm going to get Sun."

"I'll go with you." The prince said determinedly. Marshall opened the doors and saw Gunter and Sun sitting patiently on the other side of the hallway. The giant and penguin watched the two intently as they exited the room and walked over.

"You were yelling." Sun whispered. The two hesitated, embarrassed that their fighting was heard.

"Yes we were. We're just so worried about Fionna and we let our emotions get the best of us. Didn't we Marshall?" Gumball comforted. Marshall let out a soft growl but bent down to the gentle giant.

"Buddy there is something super important I need you to do, but you have to be brave okay?" Sun's eyes got wide and he nodded vigorously.

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><p><em><strong>Must hunt. Must kill. Must feed.<strong>_

_ I was on all fours waiting for anyone to come down. That pink doughy prince had thrown me in his dungeon before I had a chance to get my strength up. That wasn't very fair. All my wounds had healed except for the bite mark on my neck. My arms and legs were chained to the ground, forcing me to sit on my knees. Pinky must have expected the surge of strength I received because they were unbreakable. I was in a cell as well, though they looked much flimsier. It had been two days fourteen hours twenty-seven minutes and eight seconds since I was thrown in here and I hadn't seen anyone come down to visit. _

_Timekeeping is just one of a vampire's many talents. For example I could catch almost every little thing going on in the castle. I could hear the heartbeat of a rat that skittered by, I could smell the strawberries that were starting to mold in the kitchen upstairs, and most importantly I could hear the faint footsteps of a person walking towards the prison door. The door swung open and a bright light illuminated the room. _

_ "Fionna."_

_ "Yummm, dinner." I grinned and looked him up and down admiring my prey from behind the bars. Pink wasn't exactly the color I had wanted; it was much too feminine, but it would have to do. I was absolutely starving. The pink prince shivered slightly and I licked my lips. "No need to be afraid. I promise I won't hurt you for too long."_

_ "Do you remember me?" he sounded very hopeful, as if we'd had some sort of history together. Honestly I hadn't remembered anything before I was being carried into the castle._

_ "I remember you were the one who tossed me in here. That wasn't nice of you."_

_ "I'm afraid I'll have to keep you in here until we get you better."_

_ "Better? I'm the best I've ever been."_

"_That's a matter of opinion." I instantly dropped my playful façade and let out a low growl at that remark. No one was allowed to belittle me. If I weren't trapped and pinned down I would have torn him to bits._

"_Where's the vampire who turned me? He'll save me and then we can have some fun after we tear you apart. We'll fuck on your corpse. Or what's left of it anyways."_

"_He's upstairs." He snarled. Did I detect… envy? Why would this candy prince have feelings of anger for the vampire upstairs? I grinned when it came to me._

"_You love me don't you?" the prince stiffened and I knew I was right. We must have been in love before I was turned into a vampire. "You know, we could have some fun before I kill you. Hell, I might even let you be my little play thing if things go well."_

_ "You're feeling intense attraction and hostility. Those feelings should go away soon." The man seemed unmoved by my threats. I sighed boredly and continued to watch his every move. Eventually there was a knock on the door and the prince let two guards in. They weren't red or pink so they I couldn't have eaten them, but if I had the chance I would have definitely killed them. No one holds me prisoner and lives to tell about it. They wheeled in a metal table and some strange box was carefully placed on top of it._

_ "Is it ready?" he asked._

_ "Yes my lord." One of the men replied. The pink prince nodded while grabbing the box and slowly removed the lid. After removing a bloody, beating mass from the box, he pulled out a needle that was hidden in his pocket. He gave the thumping thing to a guard, who looked down at it in disgust, and opened the cell. He cautiously started towards me with the injection. My eyes widened and I pulled at the chains praying that they would break._

_ "What's that?" I asked startled. I was newborn. I was in no condition to take handle myself. Where was the man who turned me? Why wasn't he there to save me?_

_ "I'm sorry Fi, but I promise it'll be over as soon as possible. I really am sorry." He stabbed the syringe in my arm before I could attack him and I felt my body stiffen. Soon I couldn't move at all and the two large men removed the shackles and carried me over the metal table. They strapped down my limbs and I looked around desperately._

_ "Let go of me!" They strapped me down and cut my shirt down the middle, leaving me totally exposed. The prince stepped towards the table and put on a surgical mask. Was he going to put that thing in me? But… that would mean…_

_ "Scalpel." _

_ "LEAVE ME ALONE YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE. I'LL BLEED YOU DRY!"_

_ "Have the saw at the ready. We'll have to break through the sternum." I watched helplessly as he began to slice down my torso. The cut stung and I hissed, frustrated that I couldn't move. He pulled apart the wound and I heard my skin tear slightly. Tears formed in the corner in my eyes and I let out a bloodcurdling scream hoping it would end._

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><p>Marshall winced when he heard Fionna's unbearable screams coming from the dungeon. Letting out a sigh, he looked over to the penguin across the hallway, but he was too fascinated by his flippers to notice the attention. Despite his demands, Gunter and Sun decided that they would stay at the kingdom until Fionna was better. Marshall glanced down at the giant resting at his feet. Sun had been so brave. He didn't think twice when Marshall told him what needed to be done and he hadn't even cried when Gumball pricked his finger. <em>I wish I could be like Sun<em>. the vampire thought. Sun would never hurt Fionna, but he had done so willingly. Perhaps Gumball was right about Marshall; perhaps he did condemn Fionna.

The three were sitting on PG's couches for the past two hours. The vampire shuttered every time an unsettling scream echoed throughout the halls of the castle. How could he have done this to her? He had almost forgotten how painful the process of getting a heart was. Gumball made him stay awake the whole time and apparently he had done the same for Fi. She probably was feeling betrayed that the vampire who turned her wasn't there. He should have been down there helping her. Marshall stood up and almost went to stop Gumball, but stopped. _You __**are**__ helping her. Just stay here and stay calm._ After an hour of hearing Fionna cry Gunter stood up and started to head for the kitchen. The vampire looked on somewhat disgusted.

"I'm going to get some food while we wait. Do you want anything?"

"Nah I'm good." The vampire muttered. How could he have managed to think of food at a time like this? _Well he __**did**__ work for the Ice Queen at one point._ Gunter left leaving Marshall alone with a snoozing Sun.

"I'LL RIP YOUR THROAT OUT YOU MOTHER FUCKER!" Fionna screamed. Her voice bounced off the tiles and startled some of the servants. However the scream of anger quickly turned into sobs of agony. Marshall sighed and placed his head in his hands waiting for the whole thing to be over. He felt the couch shift and looked over to see who else but his mother sitting next to him. How she got past the guards he had no clue.

"She's got quite the potty-mouth. She probably learned it from you." Her hands were folded neatly in her lap and her posture was perfect. Her hair was brushed back and not a hair was out of place. Everything about his mother was an almost direct contrast of himself.

"I am not in the mood right now Mom."

"She's going to be fine you know."

"That depends on your definition." He mumbled. Marshall's mom looked to her son gloomily. Usually her son was so easy-going and playful, but this had to be the saddest she had ever seen him.

"Marshall I know that you hate me, but—"

"I don't hate you Mom." He looked directly in her eyes and he seemed somewhat hurt. Her son's declaration threw the Lady of Evil off. For hundreds of years she had been convinced that her own child was out to kill her. She was deathless so each attempt would have been fruitless, but it bothered her all the same.

"The point is I think you did the right thing."

"How could I have done the right thing? I turned my girlfriend into an evil, killing… thing." He had stopped him from saying the word 'monster'. Fionna would have murdered him for using that word.

"You did not. You knew that Prince Candy could give her a heart so you did what you had to do."

"Prince Gumball."

"Whatever you knew who I meant." Fionna's cries of mercy suddenly stopped and Marshall froze.

"She probably passed out. Not to worry."

"She won't be the same Mom. What if Sun isn't a human and the heart fails? It'll be all my fault and Fionna will be dead anyways." The Lady of Evil huffed and frowned at her son.

"You saved her from dying so stop being a whiny baby. Don't think about the worst because it probably won't even happen you idiot." The harsh words surprisingly comforted Marshall and he let out a small chuckle. His mother was not good at comforting, but she sure was good at knocking some sense into others.

"Thanks Mom." She had successfully made her son happy for the first time in four hundred years, so the Lady of Evil smiled and decided that it was time for her to leave.

"I love you Marshall Lee." The boy grinned at his mom as she kissed his forehead.

"You know that vampires don't have feelings, right?"

"They do for their family." She patted his back and started for the exit.

"I love you too." Marshall whispered but loud enough to be heard. She stopped, thrown off by her son's abrupt affection. The mother blinked back the unfamiliar feeling of tears before heading for the door again.

"By the way, once the Ice Queen is out of the way I expect you to kill the Ashleigh girl. She has been causing quite the ruckus in the Nightosphere trying to get my title. If she thinks she can become the Lady of Evil she is sorely mistaken." He snickered and watched the woman leave. Marshall's mother closed the castle doors just as Gumball returned from the dungeon splattered with blood. Two guards followed close behind wheeling a table with Fionna on top hidden by a blanket.

"She seems to have accepted the transplant. We're moving her into my room so she can rest properly. Now we just have to wait." A wave of relief washed over Marshall. _She's safe._

"Thank you."

"It had to be done. Besides, she's my best friend and I couldn't bear the thought of having to live without her." The vampire stood and slowly made his way over to Gumball. The guards eyed him suspiciously, but did not move. When he got to the prince Marshall hesitated for a moment before enveloping him in a hug. Gumball tensed before awkwardly patting him on the back. The vampire knew that he would be forever indebted to the prince and figured a hug would be a good start at properly thanking him.

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><p>I didn't remember too much from the last few days. I only recalled brief glimpses. I remembered I had this unbearable ache in my stomach that I'd never felt before and then I remember being in pain; excruciating pain. I heard a faint heart beating, but figured it was just my own heartbeat thumping in my ears. I was tempted to go back to sleep in the amazingly comfortable bed I had been placed in, but the itchy hospital dress I was wearing bothered me until I decided to make my consciousness known.<p>

"Ughh, what time is it?" I asked to no one in particular, my eyes still shut tight.

"Around seven I think? PG doesn't have a clock in here." I gently opened my eyes and smiled when I saw Marshall sitting beside me. The room was brightly lit up and the curtains were drawn tightly. Everything looked so much more vivid. The candy walls were neon instead of their usual pastel and the lights were blinding. Every object suddenly had its own smell, though most were overpowered by the smell of cinnamon.

"Hey you. How long was I out?"

"A day or two."

"I must have gotten some serious injuries, huh?" It was time to start asking questions.

"Yeah, but Cake says you're quick healer so we weren't too worried." Marshall replied jokingly. I giggled and was surprised when my ribs didn't hurt. I could have sworn they had been broken.

"Where is everyone?"

"Cake and Gumball are outside and Gunter and Sun are back at home."

"What happened?" Marshall looked at me hesitantly as if he didn't want to say.

"Well, when you stabbed the Ice Queen—"

"The Ice Queen." I gasped as that night came back to me. I quite literally leapt out of bed, scaring the shit out of my boyfriend, and made a bee-line for the door. Gumball must have heard my commotion because he burst through the door and blocked it, preventing me from leaving.

"Fionna, I don't recommend that you move. Your body has been put under quite a bit of stress and—"

"I'm leaving, Gumball! Now someone find me some pants!"

"You should get some rest and we'll find the Ice Queen later." Marshall pressed and tried to guide me back into bed.

"Marshall I'm fine. In fact, I'm feeling the best I've felt in months. Besides I know where she is and I'm not going to lie in bed so she can find _**another**_ hide out." My ribs didn't hurt and my throat was bandaged so there was no reason for me to "get some rest". The only thing that mattered was stopping the Ice Queen for good. I briefly wondered why I was doing so well in such a short amount of time, but I didn't question it. I had other things to focus on.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that. You got her pretty good with your sword and I doubt she'd be able to travel very far with a wound like that."

"It doesn't matter anyways. I'm going and that is that." I said stubbornly. Marshall sighed and looked briefly to Gumball, knowing they were going to lose this fight. "Now someone get me pants or I'm leaving in this hospital dress!"

"Fine, but PG and I are going with you." Marshall grumbled.

"I wanna come too!" I heard from the other side of the door. Had someone been eavesdropping? Cake slammed the door open and sprinted towards me, but stopped dead in her tracks when she caught a full look at me. "Aw baby… you look so…" _Oh, that's right._ _I probably look like death right now._

"I know I probably look awful but we can worry about my appearance later." Cake glanced up to Marshall worriedly.

"You guys haven't told her?"

"Told me what?" I asked looking to my friends for guidance, but they were completely ignoring me.

"We wanted to watch her for a little while in case there were any adverse effects since further strain might exacerbate the situation." I swear Gumball used all those big words to confuse me because it was totally working.

"What are you guys talking about?" They all exchanged glances, none of them wanting to explain. Cake sighed and decided to break the silence.

"Take a look in a mirror." _Great. Now I get to see how shitty I look._ I rolled my eyes and strolled over to the floor length mirror in the corner of the room. I didn't have time for their little games! I looked in the mirror and froze. I saw Gumball and Cake standing behind me, but my own reflection was surprisingly missing.

_Wait a second. Why would I not have a reflection? The only things that don't have reflections are…_

"Oh. My. Glob." _Atta girl. Figured it out all on your own._

"She's mad." Marshall whispered. I whirled around and saw the concerned look in his eyes.

"What? No! I'm not mad!" Sensing the awkwardness in the room reach unbearable levels, my prince friend grabbed my cat and made for the exit.

"We'll just leave you two alone for a minute." Gumball said hastily as he ushered Cake outside and closed the door. I turned to Marshall and saw that he was looking down at the ground ashamed with his hands in his pockets.

"I'm a vampire?" I asked. _Well duh. That would explain why my senses are suddenly ten times stronger._

"Yup."

"Is that why I healed so quickly?"

"Yup." I walked towards him and we both sat on the bed. I tried to hold his hand but he pulled it away.

"Did I hurt anyone?"

"Nope."

"Are you going to say anything besides 'yep' and 'nope'?" I asked annoyed.

"I ruined you." He said looking up at me suddenly.

"What are you talking about? You saved me."

"Gumball and Sun saved you."

"Sun?"

"We had to get human blood for the heart and he was more than willing to help."

"So Sun really is human?" My eyes widen and I smiled. I wasn't the only human. Well technically I wasn't human anymore, but it still felt nice to know that I was never really alone.

"Yup." He sighed. "They saved you. I just brought you here."

"Stop it. You saved me too. Finding out I'm a vampire is kind of… scary, but it would be really awful of me to be angry that you bit me. You stopped me from dying and I love you so stop feeling so bad for yourself." After a moment Marshall peeked up at me from behind his shaggy hair and smirked.

"I love you too. Now let's get you some pants and save those princes."

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><p><em>*Phew* That took<strong> a lot<strong> of effort. I feel that the ending is a tad off. Is it just me? What's the deal with Gumball's relationship with Fionna? Give me your thoughts on what's going to happen in future chapters. It's really interesting to see what you guys think. I was tempted to call this chapter "What Was Missing" in reference to Fionna's reflection, but decided against it since it didn't relate to the actual tv episode. Don't forget to review!_


	16. The Death of the Ice Queen

_MMH: Hello everybody! I feel absolutely terrible about taking forever to post this. I've just had so much going on. Normally, I wouldn't bore you with my whining, but here I go. I have work, I'm going on a trip to Ireland soon, my grandma has unknowingly been having mini strokes since about a year ago, and I decided I need to rewrite a huge chunk of the upcoming part of this story. I did not like the way I was lining the story out and had to do some **major** modifications. *sigh* All right I'm done.** Enjoy the story and don't forget to review!**_

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><p>After changing into some proper adventuring clothes, Marshall, Gumball, Cake, and I left the castle and made our way towards the beach. Thankfully it was already dark so Marshall and I didn't have to worry about being burnt. Being a vampire had its advantages; I could see in the night with ease and I was much faster than I ever was before. Gumball was the only one having trouble in the darkness so Cake carried him on her back to prevent any issues.<p>

We arrived at the beach and I slowed my sprint down to a hesitant creep; I had just been almost murdered here and I was determined to be more careful. Just because I was a vampire did not mean I was free from danger. Cake and Gumball blew past me and headed straight for the mouth of the cave, but Marshall noticed my hesitance and jogged back to me.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly.

_No Marshall. I am not._

"Yeah I'm fine." I said, more to myself than him. I reached into my backpack and grasped the hilt of my old, familiar sword. The rough leather handle rested coolly in my hands as I pulled it out. If I were still alive, it would have warmed up and massaged against the palm of my hand. I didn't have time to wimp out now; not when I was so close. With newfound assurance, I took in a deep breath and looked to Marshall. "Let's go."

We walked past the mouth of the cave into total darkness. Even with my heightened sight it was hard to see. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for Gumball. Our fingers fumbled against the wet, cold walls as a guide, but it was slowing us down. Thankfully our eyes adjusted to the darkness just enough for us to see outlines.

The cave extended deeper into the cliffs than we originally thought and the walls split into multiple tunnels.

"It's awfully quiet."

"Hey! Is anyone there? Hello?" a voice rang throughout the cave.

_Never mind._

"It sounds like it came from over here." I said. We ran towards the voice and came across all the missing princes trapped inside one giant cave made of icicles. The ice was slowly melting, but the bars were still surprisingly thick. There was Lumpy Space Prince, there was Raggedy Prince; after a quick scan I saw that all were present and accounted for.

_That was lucky._

"Are you guys okay?" I asked. All of the royals were dirty and bedraggled; the Breakfast Prince was all moldy, Lumpy Space Prince's mustache had become a full-blown beard, and even the Flame Prince had lost his flame. I then felt this terrible gnaw in the pit of my stomach; I should have saved them sooner. I was lucky enough that none of them had died, but they clearly weren't put in bearable conditions. How long had they suffered while I laid about my house "searching" for them?

"No! The Ice Queen has been feeding us little slivers of bread since we got here. She hasn't fed us in days." Hot Dog Prince replied wearily.

"Where is she?" Marshall asked.

"We're not sure. No one has heard her leave so we assume she's still here somewhere." Bee Prince said. After a brief nod, we split up to look around the cave while Cake broke the ice bars.

"Cake, take all the princes outside and make sure none of them are hurt. We'll keep searching for the Ice Queen." She nodded and herded the royals outside. Marshall, Gumball, and I continued to search throughout the cave in search of the Ice Queen.

"I found her!" PG shouted from another dark tunnel of the cave and I sprinted over to him. The Ice Queen was curled up in a little ball and looked absolutely pitiful. She most likely hadn't eaten in days and hadn't slept in longer. The large gash in her stomach was bleeding through the makeshift bandage she wrapped around it. Her eyes were shut and her chest barely showed that she was breathing. Quite frankly, it was a miracle she managed to survive for this long.

"Ice Queen. Can you hear me?" I crouched down and nudged her gently. Though I was trying to be gentle, she shook awake. She blinked a few times and looked at me briefly with a look of confusion and worry. It was almost like she had never seen me before. Slowly the Ice Queen looked over to Gumball and a small smile crept upon her face. Her eyes lit up and it seemed she had completely forgotten that she was dying.

"Benny? I-Is that you Benny?" she asked in a whisper. Her eyes were locked intently on PG's face. The Ice Queen shot her hand up for Gumballs and held it tight in her hand. From her innocent gaze, it seemed like she didn't mean any harm so I let the interaction continue. Gumball, on the other hand, looked positively horrified.

"What?" Gumball asked startled. We looked at each other nervously before returning our sight to the wounded woman.

"Oh Benny, I'm so glad I found you. Now, now we can finally get married. I'm so sorry we fought. Benny… I lo-…" The Ice Queen didn't even get to finish her last sentence as the last of her air escaped from her lips. Her head thudded against the stone wall and he hand slipped from PG's; she had finally died. I knew I should have felt relief, but I couldn't. There was something stopping me. Whatever had just happened, I knew that the dead woman that lay before me was not the Ice Queen. She was not the person I had been trying to defeat ever since I met her; this woman was good.

Marshall trotted up behind us as Gumball and I continued to stare at the corpse that lay before us.

"We should give her a proper burial." I said as I got to my feet.

"Why? She wouldn't have given you one." Marshall spat. I turned to him in revulsion and started towards him, completely forgetting that there was another person with us. Gumball stood and brushed the dirt off of his knees.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. I just had a crazy woman grab me and call me the wrong name, but I'm fine." He grumbled.

"We can't just leave her here." I cried at the other vampire, still ignoring my pink friend.

"Sure we can!"

"Marshall!" I gasped, disturbed by his callousness. I started to try to convince him to help, but it then occurred to me that I did not need his approval in the first place. "I am going to bury her, with or without you." He looked at me utterly shocked and I could understand why. He could not understand why I was being kind to someone who tried to kill me, but to me it was perfectly clear. I was acting that way because that is what heroes do. Even in death, I could not let someone's needs go unmet.

"Let's get all the princes back to their kingdoms and then we can come back. I'm sure Gunter would want to be there." Gumball comforted as he rubbed my back. Marshall stood there not saying anything, but I took his silence as a go ahead. The three of us exited the cave and made our way over to Cake and the group of princes. I felt tears try to fall, but I brushed them away quickly before any of the royals could see. Despite the fact that they had been kidnapped and possibly tortured for months, most of them were all pretty chatty.

"_Oh my glob, that was the grossest place I've ever had to sleep."_

"_Is there a spider on me? Spiders are nasty."_

"_I swear, I will never eat bread ever again."_

"_I can't wait to take a nice, long, well-deserved bath."_ They all finally noticed I was there and stopped talking, waiting for my orders.

"I think it's time for you guys to go home."

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><p>We decided to bury The Ice Queen where her kingdom used to be. The ground was starting to become overgrown little stems of grass now that all the water had been absorbed. Gumball was kind enough to provide a shovel for us to dig with though he did not choose to come with us. It was just me, Gunter, Cake, Sun, and Marshall. We tried to tell Sun that there was no real need for his presence, but he remained adamant on attending. In a way, it was rather of endearing.<p>

I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other in the empty field. There were no animals to be seen other than the penguin at my side. The land had long since returned to normal, but it seemed that nothing wanted to live on it anymore. It had become uninhabitable.

"Should we say something?" I asked as we all stared awkwardly at the ground, unsure of what to do. Eulogies were meant to honor the person, but we could not find anything good to mention.

"What is there to say?" Marshall replied.

"May I?" Gunter asked as he tugged on my hand for attention. I nodded and he looked down at the fresh mound of dirt that lay before us. "She may not have been the kindest woman, or even compassionate for that matter, but… she cared for me ever since I was a little chick and I'll miss her." He finished and nodded before turning around and starting the long walk back to the house. At first I was a little confused by how short Gunter's speech was, but I realized that he didn't have to say anymore. He could have spoken for hours about all the time he had spent with her, but it would have fallen on deaf ears. We could never understand how much the Ice Queen meant to him and we never would.

"In some sick, twisted way I think I'll miss her." Cake sighed.

"Me too." I sighed and jogged to catch up with Gunter. Even though he didn't say I could tell that my company made him feel better. The other three followed us at a distance allowing us time to think. After all, the Ice Queen had affected the two of us the most. Suddenly I thought of something that the Ice Queen had mentioned in the cave. "Hey Gunter. Who's Benny?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"The Ice Queen said that name before she..." I drifted off, unsure of how sensitive Gunter was.

"Maybe it's in her diary." He shrugged and continued to waddle along emotionless.

"The Ice Queen had a diary?" I asked surprised. I never thought of the Ice Queen as the kind of girl to write about her emotions, much less have emotions (well, normal ones anyway).

"Well, a video-diary. She's had it as long as I can remember. The Ice Queen was quite protective over all the videos she'd accumulated."

"I've got to watch them." I didn't know where my sudden interest in the Ice Queen's past came from, but seeing her acting so innocent before she died made me think there was more to the story.

"If you must." He said apathetically. I hesitated as I looked down to the penguin_. It would be rude of me to intrude on someone's privacy. It must bother Gunter that I was so careless about his previous master minutes after her freaking funeral. _Gunter looked up at me and saw the reluctance on my face. "It's fine Fionna. It's not like she'll care anyway."

"If you don't mind me asking where are they?"

"The junkyard." I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at him aghast.

"Beg pardon?"

"One day she threw them all out and forbade any of us to speak of it again."

"Why?"

"I don't quite know. She never said."

"Why would she record herself if she was just going to throw them all out? Couldn't she just write in a journal or something?"

"She needed to see for herself what she was really like."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see." Gunter opened the front door to Marshall's house and I watched him go. He was so mysterious. Sometimes I wished he would just tell me what I wanted to know without being all cryptic about it. I turned to Cake, Sun, and Marshall as they approached me; we had a new mission.

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><p><em>Ooh, did I sense some tension between Fi and Marshall? Say it ain't so! And see what I did? Gumball can be sarcastic! It's all that time he's spent around Fionna, I tell you... <strong>And I'm putting this in bold because it's <span>SUPER IMPORTAN<span>T! I'm going to Ireland on july 9th and will be gone for two weeks. I'll try to put out another chapter before I go, but no legitimate** **promises**. I know this story has gotten rather heavy so would you like some fluff? I think I'm gonna write some fluff... Now that that's over, don't forget to review :)_


	17. Scars

_MMH: Hello everybody! Sorry this one is so short, but at least I managed to get it out before I left for two weeks. I'd like to take this time to give a HUGE thank you to **Prophecy of Azure Souls** for providing me my FIRST FAN ART! Squee! Sorry. Normally I don't squee, but that made me so incredibly happy I couldn't express myself any other way. Thanks to everyone who has favorited or reviewed so far as well. It keeps this story going. I also have two AT oneshots out if you wanna read them. They're **How Marceline Met Bonnibel** and **Mr. Heartache**. (Shameless plug, what's that?) Anyway enjoy and don't forget to review!_

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><p>"Why can't we go get the videos now?" I whined as I chased after my boyfriend around the house. By the time that we all agreed to go get the tapes, the sun had risen and Marshall ushered me back inside and wanted to wait for nightfall. For some odd reason Cake even agreed with him. Sun was sprawled out on the couch with Gunter resting comfortably on his stomach.<p>

"Because it's dangerous. You could get burned." He whispered, motioning for me to quiet down.

"You don't get burned."

"That's because I wear long sleeves and carry around and umbrella. Plus, I've been burned plenty of times and it hurts like hell." I folded my arms and let out an exasperated huff. I could have gone without Marshall and Cake, but it would have taken forever to find the tapes by myself.

"Fine, you win this round Marshall Lee the Vampire King." Marshall looked at me confused. I had never said his full name before. I tried to sound intimidating, but I think I just sounded stupid. I stomped up to Marshall's room and slammed the door shut. In all honesty I wasn't that angry, but I wanted Marshall to feel bad. I flopped down onto the Marshall's bed and as I glanced over to the window I noticed a small sliver of light come up from under the curtains. A dull pain in the back of my head began to form. Had light always been so bright? It hurt to just stare at it for too long. I looked away and my headache was promptly alleviated.

"What am I supposed to do for the next fourteen hours?" I asked myself. Though the light was bothersome, it did remind me of my new state of being. Certainly I had some new abilities I could try out? "Hmmmm…" I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and walked to an empty space on the floor. I jumped and fell back the floor with a thud. I tried again and managed to levitate for about a second and then once again landed back on the ground. Jump. Jump. Jump. Jump. Jump. My thumping and bumping must have woken up Sun because he peeked through the door with an interested look on his face.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"I'm trying to fly." I replied frustrated at my failed attempts. That sentence sounded weird coming out of my own mouth. Before this, I never would have thought that I would be hopping up and down in down in my boyfriend's bedroom trying to levitate.

"Why?"

"I dunno. I just am." I snapped. A pathetic little pout formed on Sun's face and I made a little pout of my own. "Oh baby, I'm sorry." The giant looked down to the floor and then his face disappeared from the crack in the door. A few seconds later, Marshall walked through the doorway with that ever-present smirk on his face.

"Sun told me that you were jumping and then yelled at him for no apparent reason."

"I did not!" I cried. I really did feel awful for making Sun feel bad, but my emotions were so chaotic and I found myself struggling to control them. "Flying is hard." I grumbled, hoping to change the subject.

"Do you want me to teach you?"

"No." I jumped up again, but felt nothing except the wooden floor slap against the soles of my shoes. I didn't even float that time. "I shouldn't have to be taught. It should just come to me." Marshall rolled his eyes and continued to watch my attempt.

"Floating is just like learning to walk. In fact, my mom taught how to float before I could even crawl. C'mon let me help."

"Fine." I said admitting defeat. He walked over and stood straight in front of me.

"Close your eyes." I looked at him questionably, but eventually did what he asked when his expression did not change. "Now pretend all you can think of is floating. You're feet feel light and your fingers are tingling." My feet didn't feel light and my fingers certainly didn't tingle, but I pretended they did for the sake of the exercise.

"M'kay."

"Now imagine that you're flying to the Candy Kingdom. Visualize everything. What do you see?" he asked as he took my hands in his.

"I see the grass and… some bugs?"

"You're not trying. C'mon. Really focus."

"Uh, I'm flying through the trees and see the ground moving fast beneath me. I feel the shade protecting me from the sun and as I'm exiting the forest I see the kingdom on the horizon."

"Good. Keep going."

"I get closer and closer to the castle and the grass turns into that weird, yellow sugary stuff. All the citizens are greeting me and I fly past the guards, who open the doors for me."

"A'ight. Now look down." I opened one eye cautiously only to open both of them in surprise. I was floating! We were about five feet off the floor. I didn't even have to jump or anything. However the moment I looked over to Marshall with a wide grin on my face I fell to the floor, dragging Marshall down with me. He landed on top of me, but luckily stuck his arms out just in time to stop from squishing me. "You should have remained focused." He teased.

"You distracted me, ya butt." He smiled and gently tugged down the collar of my shirt, enough to see the tip of my scar. "What are you doing?"

"Gumball told me to check up on it every now and then. It looks almost completely healed."

"It's so ugly." I mumbled and glanced down to it. I hadn't bothered looking at it before that point. Normally I would never have been so vain about something as trivial as a scar; I like scars. I never failed to brag about all my scars that I got from fighting bad guys, but this one was different. This scar came from surgery and it took up about a third of my torso. Gumball did a relatively good job of stitching it up, but it was still ugly.

"Babe it's okay. I think you're perfect with or without it."

"You have to say that. You're my boyfriend." He let go of my collar and it sprung back into place. He bit his lip in deep concentration unsure what to say, but then a small smile formed on his lips.

"You remember this?" Marshall asked and moved his arms right in front of my face. On his pale blue skin was a thin, smooth scar that curved down his forearm. I grinned and traced the outline of it with my finger.

"Yup I did that to you. And if I remember correctly, you called me a bitch not long after you got it."

"How do you think I would've reacted? You threw a fucking sword at me." We both laughed and he rolled off of me. I wouldn't have minded staying that way for a while, but I had things to do. "Where are you going?" he asked as he watched me get up to leave.

"I feel bad for snapping at Sun so I'm going to apologize." I skipped down the stairs and saw Sun and Gunter sitting on the couch, staring intently at BMO. The giant noticed me come down stairs and he frowned. "Hi Sun. I'm sorry I got mad at you." He looked at me with his big blue eyes and let out a toothy smile. He could never be too angry with me for too long.

"It's fine, Mama. I forgive you."

"Here, I'll go get you a big bowl of ice cream." His eyes got wide and immediately raced to the kitchen table. I went to the fridge and scooped out some of the dessert just as Marshall found his way into the room.

"You're babying him." He said.

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"I am not. I just feel bad for being so mean to my speshuwl wittle guy!" I cooed as I placed the large bowl of ice cream of the giant and he instantly began shoveling it in his mouth. I sat down and placed my chin in my hands.

"Did you just use a baby voice?" Gunter shouted from the living room. I blushed and quickly cleared my throat.

"Eugh, I think I did. Gross." Marshall chuckled and sat down next to me. I looked over to Sun who had ice cream smeared all over his face and noticed a small bandage on his bicep. _He must have gotten it when Gumball took some of his blood_. It was sort of odd that he hadn't taken it off or that it hadn't fallen off yet. Marshall had said that he was very excited to help me and I smiled. It seemed almost like a little badge of honor on his arm.

"What is it Mama?" Sun asked when he finally noticed that I had been staring at his arm for the past few minutes.

"Nothing. Just looking at your arm."

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><p>Cake, Marshall, and I found ourselves knee-deep in garbage the instant the sun had set. Let me tell you, night could not come soon enough. When we arrived at the dump, I jumped into the nearest ditch and started looking.<p>

"So where are these videos supposed to be anyway?" Cake shouted down to me.

"I dunno. Gunter just said they were here."

"This is probably gonna take a while." She sighed and began to search.

"How do we even know that they aren't ruined? We don't know how long they've been here or if the Ice Queen kept them in good condition." Marshall replied as he flew around to a rather large pile of trash not far away. I hated when he poked holes in my plans. After an hour of searching I came across a large cardboard box that had some slight water damage. It was closed so whatever was inside hopefully didn't get too soaked. I opened it and came across at least fifty tapes. Most of them were labeled with weird things like "My Favorite Types of Ice" or "Gunter Identification", but one of them caught my eye. It was labeled "Benny's First Pet".

"Guys! I found it!"

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><p><em>What do you think is on "Benny's First Pet"? Well I know what's on it, but I'd like to hear if you guys get it. I'm sorry this one is a little rushed. I'll probably come back to this one before I start the next chapter and do some editing. Speaking of editing, I did some more modifications to the first two chapters. I just added a few details, but I like them. Go to beautifulblack-soul on deviantart and tell her she did a great job on the fan art! Don't forget to review, too :)<em>


	18. The Life of Simone Petrikov

_MMH: I'm baaack! If any of you were interested, Ireland was freaking beautiful and I hung out with the best people. I had a pint of Guinness, I had a mini romance, I kissed the Blarney Stone, and I took pictures of all of it. Needless to say I bawled like a baby when I had to leave. _After finishing my writing holiday (that was a week longer than intended... oops), I have returned with a new chapter! I also added another chapter to **How Marceline Met Bonnibel**. It's funny; I hadn't written a story so effortlessly since I started this ol' thing, but **HMMB** is super easy to write. I'll admit, I've acquired a soft spot for it. I never expected I'd like it so much. I'm ranting. Now- READ, FAVORITE, and REVIEW!__

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><p>Gumball, Cake, Marshall, Sun, Gunter and I shuffled through the box all the old videos and came across one titled the one that caught my eye at the junkyard. I picked it up still quite intrigued and handed it to Gumball.<p>

"This one?" He asked hesitantly as he looked at the video's title. It didn't really look relevant.

"Yeah." We all shoved ourselves onto the couch and BMO put in the video. Marshall was cuddled next to me on the couch and Sun was next to him. Cake was on my right with Gumball next to her and Gunter was sitting on the floor. The visuals were fuzzy, but eventually focused to the Ice Queen holding a baby penguin. There was no sound, but we could see the clear expression of adoration on the woman's face. She tickled the penguin's stomach and it retaliated by waving its flippers around.

"Oh Gunter! You look so cute!" Sun teased. Marshall pushed against the giant's shoulder, prodding him to move over. He stood up and made his way to the kitchen.

"You don't know if that's him. She had lots of penguins." He reminded. Gunter shifted uncomfortably and waddled to BMO.

"It's me." Gunter said, slightly embarrassed. "Let's put in another one, shall we?" We all chuckled as the penguin found the first video in chronological order.

The next video started on a young woman with short brown hair and rosy cheeks appeared on screen. She had a bright smile and even brighter green eyes. She was curled up comfortably in a red recliner and the video was set up on a table across from her. I glanced over at Cake who seemed to have the same look of confusion as I did. This couldn't have been the Ice Queen; where was her blue skin? Her long, white hair? The maniacal scowl on her face?

"_**Benny and I just bought a new house!" **_the woman on screened cried with joy and my head turned back to her with interest. Her voice was so sweet and melodic. I imagine that's how a princess would sound, if there were any left that is._** "It's so cool to be free and be adults. It's great. We're right by a river and a beautiful field full of flowers and bunnies and all that cool stuff. It's really secluded and peaceful. Way better than that noisy, messy, war-crazy city. I can't wait till we're all unpacked. There's this really amazing diner in town and I think I'll get a job there. Benny's going to try to get a job at the science institute, but we'll see."**_ There was a noise of floorboard creaking off-camera. The woman looked towards it and grinned at the unseen figure._** "Benny! Benny say 'hi' to the camera!" **_

"_**No babe. You know I'm camera shy." **_

"_**Honey please?"**_ The woman gently whined. There was a sigh before the woman grinned again and turned the camera to a man that looked to be around mid-twenties. His skin was pale and freckled and his orange hair was coiffed to the side perfectly. He looked like the human version of Gumball.

"_**Hi. Now let's go unpack you lazy girl." **_The woman giggled and the camera shut off.

"That was the Ice Queen? She looked so… not evil." I muttered.

"Am I the only one who thinks that Benny guy looked a whole lot like PG?" Marshall nudged me as he placed a bowl of strawberries at my feet.

"What's an 'institute'?" Sun asked. We all pondered our own questions before putting in the video titled "The Tiara".

The video started with the same woman, but she seemed frazzled. Her hair probably hadn't been brushed in a few days and her clothes wrinkled as she tugged at them uselessly. Her eye twitched a few times before beginning._** "Benny and I were having a picnic at the beach when I spotted something shining in the water. I picked it up and saw that it was a crown. Jokingly, he placed it on my head and called me a 'queen', but that is the last thing I remember. When I came to, he looked absolutely horrified. I asked what was wrong, but he refused to say. What had I done? He tiptoes around me like I'm going to attack him. The only thing about this week is that's been somewhat good is that it's starting to snow. Benny doesn't really like snow, but I think it's beautiful. Maybe we'll make a snowman or have a snowball fight? I'm sure that'll help, at least a little." **_

"_**Simone, what're you doing? Turn off the camera. We have to take you to the doctor." **_The person on screen, apparently named Simone, turned to the familiar voice of Benny.

"_**I'm fine Benny." **_She said determinedly, but her facial expression said otherwise. The woman's voice was hoarse as if each word that she spoke clawed its way out of her throat.

"_**No. You're not." **_Benny sounded like he was trying to be tough, but his voice cracked at the end. He really was scared of her. The woman sighed and then got up to turn off the camera. I looked around the room and saw that only four people were still watching. Sun had fallen asleep during the last video and Gunter was now reading a book. He had most likely seen the videos before and didn't want to watch them again. Gumball, Marshall, and Cake however were captivated. I walked over and gently pressed the button on the back of BMO to put in the next video.

Simone was on screen, but her appearance had changed drastically since the last video. Her long once brown hair was now streaked with grey and her skin was tinged blue. _**"The doctor didn't help. I don't know what it is, but I keep putting the crown on. It's like… it's like I need it. It's like it's controlling me. As you can see, my appearance has been changing. My temperature has been dropping to hypothermic levels and Benny said that if I kept wearing it, he'll leave me. He's horrified of the person I become when I wear that crown. I don't know what I do when it's on, but it obviously isn't good. The weather has been dreadful, too. It's been snowing nonstop for almost two weeks straight. Benny can't take it, but my new body temperature makes it easier for me. I feel absolutely awful."**_ Simone's face randomly contorted into an evil scowl when she heard a door, presumably the front, open. _**"Benny! Where do you think you're going? Stop!" **_Simone screamed as she got up from her spot and stalked off screen. We heard thumping and shouting until Benny was thrown onscreen onto the couch wearing a clear expression of panic. The video cut to static and the three of us looked at each other unsure of what to do.

In the next video Simone looked absolutely terrible. She now looked like she did when she died, with her cheeks sunken and eyes encircled by dark circles. Her hair was now snow white and it clearly hadn't been brushed in a while. She clasped the small crown in her balled fists. Either she was afraid to let it go or she was trying to snap it in half. _**"Benny left. He couldn't leave the town because of the snow storm, but he's in a little Bed and Breakfast about three miles away. I want him to come back. I need him. I don't want to be alone. I wish we had never found that damned tiara! Why did we think it would be a good idea to move out into the country? We should have just stayed in the city." **_She broke out into sobs and she let the crown jangle to the floor. Her torso curled as she brought her legs up and hugged them. After a few minutes, she got up and stumbled to turn off the camera.

"I don't think I want to watch anymore."

"There's only one more, babe." Cake comforted and put in the video.

Simone turned on the video and then retreated to the couch, where she sat bent in a ball._** "Benny is dead. He couldn't take the cold. I buried him by the river. I wish we could have been happy together. I'm sure we could have if not for this godforsaken crown! I need a way to escape. I hope it's not too late. Benny… Benny if you can hear me wherever you are I love you."**_ Simone violently twitched and a large grin appeared on her face which sent a cold chill down my spine._** "That's fine, though. I have my crown. It'll help me. As long as I have my crown, I'll be fine."**_ She giggled. And then the giggle became a cackle. Her bone chilling laughter lasted for a couple seconds before the video cut off. Simone had finally become the Ice Queen.

"Oh my Glob. She wasn't evil. She was lost." Cake sighed and picked up the empty bowl that once had the strawberries. Marshall remained quiet by my side and I let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed by what I just saw.

"The crown must have split her personality; one side wanted her very own prince and the other just wanted power. How fascinating." Gumball was always the scientific one; finding appeal in someone's tragedy.

"How sad." I said and wiped the tears that I just realized had surfaced. I couldn't get my mind off of the Ice Queen. She was cruel, she kidnapped dozens of princes, she tried to kill me, but I couldn't bring myself to hate her. It wasn't her fault. For some strange reason, my heart felt heavy with guilt. Why was I feeling guilty? _You should have known, Fionna. People become evil for a reason. They aren't just born that way._ Aside from guilt I felt this overbearing need to protect my friends. I refused to think that they would fall into the same fate like the Ice Queen had. I refused to think that all of my friends aside from Marshall would eventually die.

Gunter had finished the book he was reading and closed it gently. Marshall and Cake made their way upstairs after we decided that I would walk Gumball home. Just because that our main nemesis was gone did not mean that there were other dangers lurking about.

Gumball insisted on walking since he was convinced that he would get airsick. I tried to show him it was no big deal, but he refused. The walk to the Candy Kingdom was pretty quiet. What were we supposed to say after we just witnessed the Ice Queen's transformation? _Well, there is one thing…_

"PG can I ask you something?" I glanced over to him. His adorable look of concentration was broken as he turned to me, his attention now fully on me.

"Sure Fi. What is it?"

"Will I ever remember what happened, you know, before I got my heart?"

"I'm unsure, but I don't think you'd want to remember."

"Oh." That was hardly a satisfactory answer, but I decided to let it go. Gumball did have a point. Marshall was given a heart for a reason so clearly I was as well. We continued to walk until another thought popped into my head. I started to say something, but stopped.

"What is it?" Gumball asked and stopped. I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it again. "Say it."

"Do you think I'll ever be able to become human again?" my question had thrown him off. He got a concerned look on his face and grabbed onto my arms caringly.

"Why? It's not becoming too stressful is it?" he asked and began inspecting me. PG clearly did not understand that I was much stronger than when I was human.

"No, not at all. It's just… the Ice Queen dying got me thinking about other people dying—"

"You're worried about the others." he cut me off. Gumball, or any of my friends now that I think about it, could read me like an open book.

"And you." I added. "I know that Marshall has probably dealt with peoples' deaths a hundred times over, but I don't know what I'm gonna do without you guys."

"It's perfectly common to be concerned about your loved ones dying, but dying normal. Everyone dies."

"Not me." I said barely above a whisper. Gumball bit his lip and instantly regretted what he had said. There was no way that this conversation was going to end well, but luckily we arrived at the castle not long after. We got to the bridge and he turned to me, looking me straight in the eyes.

"You should go home and get some rest. I'll drop by tomorrow to see if you're feeling any better. Okay?" PG and I had both gone through near-death experiences so who better to talk to? The only difference was that death would eventually catch up to him.

"Thanks PG. See you tomorrow."

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><p><em>I wonder how many people actually read the after-notes. Whatever. I was a little bummed that only five people reviewed my last chapter over THREE weeks, but I'm gonna keep chugging along. As long as people like it I'll keep writing. HOWEVER, I know people like it by reviewing or favoriting. So... food for thought. The next one will be longer, I promise. I just felt like this part needed it's own chapter. Don't forget to favorite and review!<em>


	19. Zombies!

_MMH: Hello everybody! Alright so you guys wanna know WHY I haven't updated in the past (checks last update) five weeks? It's not really that interesting; just a combination of laziness and writer's block. I knew exactly what I wanted to write plot wise I just did not want to write it and when I __**did **__want to write it I just couldn't. Literally I would stare at my computer screen for thirty minutes at a time with a total blank. Honestly I have no idea how I got out of it. And of course my "lovely" (sarcasm) sister (who is also a writer for this site, just not for Adventure Time) was all "Wow Meg, how do you have any readers left?" Thanks, Jen. But I have conquered the flames of apathy/mind-death! For everyone who wants to know how the next chapter of any of my stories are going I have this thing on my profile that shows how much I've written and how long I think it'll take for me to finish. Shout out to everyone who's been reviewing this story and my others so far! I read all of them and they make my day. I even reply to them if I can. Now enjoy this long chapter and review/favorite!_

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><p>I shut Marshall's front door quietly and tip-toed up across the living room past Sun's unconscious body. The curtains had been opened; presumably someone had been waiting for me to come home, so some moonlight covered the wooden floor. Gunter had fallen asleep on the lounge chair he was sitting in. BMO was in sleep mode and his screen faintly glowed on and off. I bit my lip and watched the trio for a moment. My conversation with Gumball was still ringing in my head and I was unsure if I'd ever feel comfortable about my friends dying while I stayed the same. Even little BMO would break sooner or later.<p>

I made a conscious effort to float and carefully made my way upstairs to Marshall's bed.

Cake was fast asleep at the foot of the bed. She probably decided to stay the night since everyone was staying at his house. Marshall was lying on the bed as well, careful not to accidentally hit my sister, strumming listlessly on his bass. His eyes were drooping slightly but they lit up when he looked up and saw me standing in the doorway. He never said so, but taking care of Sun and Gunter must have taken quite a toll on him.

"Hey love." He smiled at me, but I couldn't bring myself to fake one.

"Babe, I'm sad."

"Go spend the day with Cake then." He offered, nodding his head to her sleeping figure. I was a little hurt that he didn't show more concern, but he was never one for comforting me well. He knew that Cake would be more helpful than he was. That thought had not occurred to me. I hadn't hung out with just my sister in a while. If I was ever going to come to terms with being immortal, I needed to spend time with the ones I loved as much as possible.

"I'd love that." I smiled, but it quickly left my face. "Wait. I promised I'd meet up with Gumball tomorrow."

"If you'd like, I'll tell him that you're back at the tree house when he gets here in the morning."

"Really?" I leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah. I need some guy time anyway. Now go on ahead."

"I kinda need Cake in order to spend time with her." I teased. Marshall sighed and stood up, unsure of what to until his face lit up and a mischievous grin spread across his lips. He brought the pick of his bass to the air and brought it against the strings in one swift motion. Cake's eyes snapped open and she launched herself onto my top, her claws digging into the fabric. Soon she realized what had happened and glared at him.

"I hate you so much."

"Tonight you can swing by and we can go slay some stuff if you want?" I said and grinned at him as I pried Cake off of my blue shirt. He smirked and dropped back down onto the bed to play his bass in peace.

"It's a date."

* * *

><p>It was nice spending time with my sister. It was like old times. No stress, no worries, no babysitting, just me and her being ourselves. After Marshall had startled her awake, she decided that she would stay up with me and we just goofed off. Before the sun rose we battle a demon cat and helped a bear find his mother. Now I was watching her play videogames.<p>

"Cake! Cake go back and get that coin!" I shook her shoulder, but she quickly held the controller with one hand to swat me away.

"I'm not in it for the money, girl. I'm in it for the adventure!" Her little character moved away from the rotating coin across the screen and swiped at the bad guys with its sword.

"But you can get extra points."

"I don't need extra points. I'm still better at this game than you." I stuck out my tongue and she continued to tap at the controller with her claws. There was a knock on the door and neither of us got up. "Doorbell." Cake mumbled in an almost zombie-like tone and I knew she was not going to answer it. I giggled and floated over to the door.

"Hey PG." I grinned when I had opened the door.

"Hello Fionna." He gave me a hug and smiled, but it fell when he looked over my shoulder to Cake on the couch. "Are you, you know, feeling better?" he whispered quietly enough for only me to hear.

"Yeah. I just needed some sister time. Wanna come inside?" he nodded and I led him inside. We watched my sister play for a little while, but out of the corner of my eye I kept seeing Gumball open and close his mouth as if he wanted to say something. "If you want to ask something, say it."

"Did you ever find my scroll?" I looked over to PG like he was crazy, but he returned my stare with an innocent, awaiting one. He had to be kidding. In all honesty, I had almost forgotten that damned thing even existed. After the Ice Queen- er, Simone- had died, that was the only thing I that was on my mind.

"You're joking, right? It was so dark in the cave that even Marshall and I had a hard time seeing."

"Well we could go now that it's light outside." He did have a good point. I was about to agree but my sister cut me off. During our conversation she had paused her game in order to listen in.

"No way. She's staying inside." Cake interjected.

"Why can't I go?"

"Do you not remember your burning alive discussion with Marshall?" I looked at her skeptically. Cake and Marshall were constantly looking over me and making sure I was safe. They never did that when I was human.

"Marshall goes outside all the time so I am too." I said determinedly. All I had to do was cover up every inch of by body. No big deal.

"No you're not. If you get burnt I'll have to take care of you and put up with your whining ass."

"I can do what I want." I folded my arms and looked to PG for reassurance.

"Maybe it's best that we leave the scroll where it is for now. No one aside from us knows where it is and I would hate for you to get hurt." Gumball sighed and sat down on the couch.

"Not you too, PG!" The two had ganged up on me! _PG is such a pansy… I _sank back down onto the couch with the two and Cake resumed her game, knowing she won this specific battle. The wonderful peace that once was had been completely destroyed and the three of us sat in silence. "I'm hungry." I groaned exaggeratedly, hoping to make the situation less uncomfortable. Gumball tensed up next to me and I rolled me eyes. It was if he worried I was going to eat him.

"There are some strawberries in the fridge." Cake suggested, her eyes never leaving her game. The buttons on the controller clicked vigorously and I giggled at her aggressiveness. Though she refused to admit it, she was often more competitive than I was.

"I was eating enough strawberries _**before**_ I was a vampire. I'm pretty sure I could be classified as a strawberry by now. Maybe there's some chocolate hidden somewhere." I wandered over to the pantry and inspected its bare shelves. Ever since I was transformed I only ate red and Cake simply scavenged for food now, leaving our kitchen pantry forgotten and vacant. _Nothing._ That is, nothing but a lone candy bar that had fallen onto the floor. "Ah ha!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Gumball warned, but did nothing to actually stop me. I went back to the living room with my prize in hand. Through the plastic wrapping I could tell that it was cracked, presumably from being knocked to the floor, but I didn't care. Chocolate was chocolate.

"Oh please, I'll be fine." I grabbed the candy bar and unwrapped it hastily. _One, two, three_. I took a huge bite just as I had plopped down next to PG on the couch. I looked at him with my mouth full and a smug look.

At first, nothing seemed different. Eating chocolate was just how I remembered. It was sweet and tickled my tongue. However after about ten minutes something felt wrong. My throat itched and it felt like my stomach was tearing itself apart. My eyes grew wide when I realized too late what was happening. _Shit._ The next thing I knew my head was in the toilet and my whole body ached. I threw up. How I had managed to make it to the bathroom in time was nothing short of a miracle.

"That was disgusting." I whined and trudged back into the living room after I was sure I was finished. I kept my mouth slightly open, fearing I would taste the bile on my tongue.

"I tried to warn you." Gumball admonished as he watched me sit down next to him and rest my legs on his lap. I always thought that vampires ate red because it tasted good. It never occurred to me that they couldn't eat anything else. "Strawberry?" he asked and moved a bowl of them towards my face.

"I hate you."

"I'm here to comfort you. You've been feeling all low and whiny so I'm here to knock some sense into you." He reminded me almost rudely and popped one of the fruits into his mouth.

"You're doing a hell of a job." I mumbled sarcastically.

"Why are you feeling sad?" Cake asked and turned to me with concern, though this time she completely abandoned her game. She hadn't even bothered to pause it, but BMO was kind enough to do that for her. She often knew to give me space when I needed it, but became all nosy when she found out I was keeping a secret from her.

"You haven't told her?" PG asked with wide eyes, but I could tell he was secretly enjoying the awkward situation. I used to never keep anything from Cake. Like ever.

"It's nothing Cake. Just some post-life-changing feelings. No big deal." I replied, hoping to leave it at that.

"Have you told Marshall?" she asked, refusing to drop the topic.

"No, Cake. It's not a big deal. He shouldn't need to worry about me."

"Yes he does. Relationships are about communication and compromise. Mo-Chro and I are great at talking about how we feel and we're perfectly happy."

"Thank you Cake." I snapped bitterly, hoping she'd leave the subject alone.

"Don't speak that way to me. I'm tryin' to help you and you are just moping on the couch." _What is this, "bother the fuck out of Fionna" day?_

"No you aren't. You're just flaunting your flawless relationship in my face. I know that you two are wonderfully happy and are on tier fifteen or whatever, but I don't fucking care. Marshall and I are perfectly content the way we are and we don't need judgment from either of you two." Gumball and Cake looked at me wide-eyed and mouths agape. Perhaps I had gone a tad too far, but the two of them were severely getting on my nerves.

"Where the hell did that come from?" my sister asked, more curious than hurt. PG answered before I could.

"She's having hostile feelings regarding her vampire status." Worried about what I would do if I remained in the room any longer, I decided it would be best if I left as soon as possible.

"Fuck y'all. I'm going upstairs." Before they could get a word out to protest, I flew as fast as I could upstairs up to my room and slammed the door shut.

I leaned my forehead against the wood and tried to calm my breathing. I had no idea where my terrible attitude came from, but it wasn't getting any better. I turned away from the door and let out a soft growl when I saw that the curtains were wide open, letting little strands of light fall through onto the floor. I was tempted to get angry at whoever left them open, but almost let out a giggle when I realized I was the culprit. Marshall, Gunter, Cake, or Sun probably didn't even think to close my bedroom curtains when they found out I went all vampire. We hadn't been home since. It was silly to assume that they would have magically closed by themselves.

"I guess someone has to close them." I mused to myself, my harsh outlook almost gone. I grabbed the edge of the purple curtain and didn't think anything of it until my arm felt like it was being burned by acid. "Shit! That really does hurt!" I cursed and pulled my arm away from the sunlight. Little bubbles had already formed on my skin and the area around it turned a darker shade of blue. I gently prodded one of the bubbles and it burst causing a clear liquid to seep out and drip down my arm. Holding back the urge to gag I went into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. _I guess the curtains will have to wait._ I slowly moved my arm underneath the stream of cold water and hissed in pain.

Nothing was turning out the way I was expecting. My day with Cake was supposed to be fun, but so far everything was out to get me. I turned off the water and went into the medicine cabinet in search of some bandages. Boxes and boxes of band-aids lined up wall to wall in the cabinet among bottles of medicine and ointments, but I went for the cloth bandage roll hidden in the corner instead. Once I had patched myself up I looked into the mirror only to be met with no reflection. Sighing, I walked back to my room and gently traced the bite marks on my neck with indifference. Once my head hit the pillow I stared at the ceiling and began to wonder what I could be doing right now if I weren't a vampire.

It was a stupid thought, but I humored myself all the same. Being a vampire definitely had its advantages, but from the way I saw it the cons outweighed the pros. I could have been content with my newfound alteration if two burdens hadn't been in the way: no growing old and no sunlight. The two were quite the deal-breaker.

I lied like that for a while, just feeling bad about myself, when I heard a knock on the door. I looked to my window and saw that it the sun was slowly descending behind the horizon. I had wasted my entire day moping about my room.

"Baby, the boys are here." Cake shouted up to me. I winced at the sudden noise; my sister still had not realized that my senses were ten times stronger than they used to be. From what I could tell literally all the guys were here. Why had Marshall brought Sun and Gunter? _He probably thinks they'll need a babysitter._ He normally would have abandoned the two back at his house, but for some stupid reason he chose this day of all days to be responsible.

"I heard."

"Is she okay?" Marshall said his words slightly muffled.

"She's been like this all day. Want me to come up, Fi?" Gumball asked hesitantly. Our friendship had lasted long enough for him to know I _**needed**_ someone to talk to, but I didn't _**want**_ to talk to anyone. Especially to PG. I'm sure he had not meant to, but he was being a real ass.

"No." I shouted back. There was a brief moment where no one spoke and I let out a small sigh of relief. All I wanted was to be alone for a little bit. Marshall could wait downstairs for all I cared.

"I'm coming up anyway."

"Me too. You're gonna need some back up." I heard Gunter mutter. I bit back a smile at his comment. Gunter always had a way of making me unintentionally happier. _Stop it, Fi. You're mad. Mad people don't smile_. I managed to control myself just in time for Gumball and the penguin walk through my door.

"All right Fionna the Grouch, what's up?" the prince asked as he sat down at the foot of my bed. I curled my legs up to avoid his contact.

"Being a vampire is hard." I mumbled. _Wow, that sounded stupid._

"Don't worry. Marshall Lee was born a vampire and he still hasn't gotten the hang of it."

"You don't get it." I started, but stopped myself before I got any other words out. I couldn't have my boyfriend listening in on me trash-talking being a vampire. "Can you hear what we're talking about Marshall?" I shouted down to him. There was a brief pause before he responded.

"Uh…no?" he yelled back confused.

"Wait. Why?" Gumball cried back. That was a good question. For some reason I had the senses of a god but his were much weaker than mine.

"Newborn vampires have stronger senses. They'll get weaker over time." If I didn't know any better I sworn I could have heard him shrug. I let out a soft growl and wasn't very satisfied with that answer but I decided to whine quietly without any regard to Marshall's feelings.

"Now spill." Gumball prodded and folded his legs, intent on what I was about to say. It seemed a little weird that he was being the supportive friend _**now**_, but I shrugged it off. He probably realized what a tool he was being.

"Everything has a smell and it makes me sick to my stomach." The two looked at me quizzically but I continued undeterred. "I'm surrounded by this horrible stench of everything all the freaking time. I'm super emotional and I feel like a freaking baby. Not to mention that I can hear literally everything. All these sounds are amplified tenfold. I can hear your heart beating; I can hear birds chirping miles away. Hell, I can hear Sun sneaking food from the fridge downstairs. I can't do anything I used to either! I can't eat what I want, I can't go outside and enjoy the sunshine, I can't look at myself in the mirror, I can't… I can't get old. It's unbearable!" I cried and threw myself backwards onto the bed once more. "I thought being a vampire would be great, but it just sucks."

"Was that pun intentional?" Gunter asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. I shot up from my wallowing position and looked at him stunned. Gumball sat beside me stifling his laughter.

"Gunter! I'm being serious!"

"I'm sorry, but the Ice Queen used puns almost every day! I hear them all the time now."

"Fionna I know this transition is hard, but I'm sure you'll adjust to it." PG said comfortingly, the light-hearted response from Gunter brushed away. "The aging issue can't be solved. Life and death are things we all must deal with. I wish I could help you, but —" the prince cut himself off and a serious look of thought appeared on his face for a second. Gunter and I looked at each other hesitantly before Gumball suddenly stood up from my bed and bolted for the door. "I have to go." In a flash he had flown downstairs.

"Uh, bye?" I shouted down to him. I heard the front door slam shut and I mumbled, "A lot of help he was."

"He's right, though. There is nothing we can do but just grin and bear it."

"I know. I guess I just needed to let it out. I can't tell Marshall 'cause it'll hurt his feelings."

"Marshall's a big boy. You should tell him how you feel and he should want to listen." Gunter did have a point and I felt a little silly that I couldn't figure that out all on my own. Personally I couldn't believe I was getting love advice from an old, grumpy penguin. Beggars can't be choosers I suppose. I also chose to ignore that what Gunter had said was pretty much the same that Cake had said.

Gunter and I casually made our way downstairs to see that Gumball really had left. Marshall, Cake, and Sun were laid about the living room waiting for me to come down. Once they realized my presence, all three pairs of eyes were on me.

"Hi." I replied sheepishly.

"You okay?" Marshall asked as he got up and went over to hug me. I heard Gunter hold his breath waiting for my response, but it slipped by my boyfriend entirely. I knew what he wanted me to do. _Tell him. Tell him. Tell him._

"Yeah."

"Would you still want to go out?"

"Totally! Let's go." I grabbed his hand and bolted for the door, thankfully avoiding the third-degree from Cake.

Marshall and I didn't go out and fight anything like planned, but went to the drive-in instead. The movie was lame and romantic, but it was comforting since I had someone by my side. The drive-in was unusually empty, only a couple of bears and geese were there aside from me and Marshall, but we decided to enjoy the silence instead of questioning it. When I was with him, all of my anxieties disappeared. He didn't pester me or wasn't nosy like everyone else. It was odd; for the longest time I was perfectly content without him in my life, but now that he was there I couldn't imagine how I'd be without him.

Deciding to turn in early Marshall and I flew back to the tree house to see Gunter and Sun conked out on the couch. I pouted slightly. They had kindly messed up their sleep schedule for me the past few days so it made sense that they were tired, but it was rather frustrating that the only times I was really hanging out with them was when they were supposed to be asleep.

"Want anything to eat?" Marshall whispered as he headed to the kitchen. I sneered slightly when I recalled our options.

"Nah I'm good." Our rarely-used phone rang and I raced to answer it, hoping that it hadn't awoken either of the sleeping duo.

"Hello?" I hushed into the receiver.

"Fionna?! Are you… Come quick!" I instantly knew it was Gumball. The audio cut in and out which is understandable considering the phone's age. It had barely been efficient in its heyday around twenty years ago, but now it was cracked and unreliable, only used in emergency situations.

"Gumball? What is it?" I asked startled. Marshall had returned from the kitchen with a strawberry in his mouth and his eyebrow quirked questioningly.

"Accident…Cake's here… gone wrong… zombies!" I dropped the receiver and looked to my boyfriend horrified. The last word knocked the wind out of me. Zombies?

"What's wrong? Where's Cake? What did he need?" Marshall asked in succession and for a moment there wasn't anything I could say.

"We have to go."

"What about Gunter and Sun?" he asked as he watched me make a bee-line for the door.

"Leave 'em."

* * *

><p>All was quiet when Marshall and I arrived to the Candy Kingdom. The streets were littered with various abandoned items like shoes and groceries. There was no noise; no screams, no animals chattering, not even the wind blew. The silence was deafening.<p>

"Hello?" I called out hopefully. At first there was no change, but slowly a soft rumble arose from the nothing. It grew and loud moans grew louder and louder, the clamor circling around the two of us. We looked around and misshapen figures crept from alleyways, doorways and anywhere the shadow hid them. Their limbs contorted into odd angles as if they were broken and their wretched, milky, yellow eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight. Some of the figures were in better condition than others and slithered towards us like a predator stalking its prey.

"What the hell is going on?" Marshall whispered as he stepped in front of me protectively. I pivoted so we were back to back to prevent any sneak attacks.

"Zombies."

"What?!" he shouted startled. _Oops, did I __**not**__ mention that to him?_ Shouting was not a good move because all of the moving corpses reeled towards us at an alarming speed. Marshall looped our arms together and tilted forwards before launching himself upwards, preventing any of the zombies from getting to me. We flew higher into the sky and flew towards the castle entrance which was opened and abandoned.

We flew about the mass of undead in search of Gumball, who was hopefully still alive. I felt a combination of relief and terror when I could not find him.

"Gumball?" Marshall yelled out and we were thankful to hear his faint cries coming from the down the corridor. The throne room. We raced to the source of the cry and were relieved to see that PG was miraculously unharmed. Marshall and I positioned ourselves at the doorway to prevent any undead from coming through. I had my sword and Marshall grabbed the large soup ladle that Gumball had previously held firmly in his hand for protection.

"Why are there fucking zombies everywhere?" I shouted to Gumball who was huddling beside his throne while Marshall and I continued to prevent any corpses from coming through the door.

"I…I'm not sure. I only realized what was happening when Lord Monochromicorn disappeared."

"Where's Cake?"

"I don't know." My heart stopped and without thinking I moved away from my post and headed forward, leaving the three of us exposed to the horde of zombies. "Fionna! What are you doing?"

"I have to find her before she gets attacked!" I ran ahead of them, knowing that Marshall was more than capable of taking care of PG. The two took off after me of course; Marshall didn't want to leave me alone and Gumball didn't want to be left behind. Every zombie that got in my way received a swift kick in the face or got sliced in half with my sword. No one was going to stop me from finding my sister.

"Cake?! Cake!" I screamed. I ascended the castle and the corpses lessened the higher we went. A soft murmuring I was sure was Cake caught my attention and I raced towards it. My heart was beating rapidly and for a split second I was sure that this was how being human felt. I finally saw her and a large black sluggish figure crouching in front of me, her back to me.

"Baby, you okay?" she whispered to the figure who I realized to be Lord Monochromicorn and my presence completely unknown to her. His long torso and hind legs dragged along the ground as he hobbled forward, his spine clearly broken. Despite the severe injury he continued undeterred towards the feline. A guttural neigh tried to escape, but came out only as a tiny gurgle. His jaw appeared like it was unable to close properly and his lips curled into a hungry snarl before he used all his energy to lurch towards Cake.

Marshall grabbed a chair and swung it at Monochromicorn's face and he flew back against the window. The glass shattered under his weight and he tumbled down onto the ground. I ran towards Cake and knelt down to inspect her wounds.

"Cake!" her body convulsed and went limp. Her heart stopped and eyes closed. Panic coursed through my veins and it almost killed me when her eyes shot open once again. A mixture of drool and blood peaked out from her mouth and dripped down Cake's face. I stumbled backwards towards Marshall and PG, my eyesight never leaving her slowing advancing form. Her eyes were sunken and a dull yellow like if she had jaundice. Her fur was matted with blood and dirt. Without warning she launched herself on me and her fangs sunk into my arm causing my blood to peek out around her teeth. I screamed and desperately tried shaking her off which made more skin to tear in the process. I punched her in the snout with my free arm and she finally released her firm bite.

"FUCK! That hurt!" I scolded her as if she could actually understand what I was saying. Before she could attack again I kicked Cake square between the eyes and she sailed backwards onto the ground. The horde of other zombies had caught up by this point and began shuffling towards me. Marshall appeared by my side and quickly helped me back to my feet while Gumball sprinted ahead. Marshall and I flew to catch up to him and we made our way to the nearest room, which ending up being Gumball's lab. We bolted the door just in time as it shook and thudded from the zombies attacking on the other side. We threw our bodyweight against it and eventually the door stopped shaking. I didn't have much time to catch by breath however because PG quickly looked over and tackled me to the floor.

"What the hell?!" I screamed at him trying to push him off. However he was surprisingly strong and remained stubbornly on top of me.

"You were bitten!" he shouted.

"I was bitten too, ya know." Marshall said coolly as he leaned against the wall and raised his right arm to reveal several bites, though they didn't look nearly as nasty as mine. Gumball eyes grew wide at the realization that he was in a room with two contaminated people, but got a confused look on his face when Marshall and I remained our usual selves. _Why haven't I changed yet?_

"I'm not a zombie." I looked down astounded at my arm that was being restrained by PG. The ghastly-looking bite where Cake had attacked me had blood slowly oozing down my wrist and into the carpet. Cake had changed almost instantly when she was attacked, but I was still normal.

"We're already dead, Fi. Zombie bites strongly affect those with a steady blood flow. If we didn't have a heart our blood wouldn't even course." Marshall said as if it were obvious. Gumball stood up and brushed dirt off of his clothes, embarrassed that Marshall knew something he didn't.

"That's right. Slow blood flow means slow transformation."

"So we will become zombies eventually by that logic." I interjected.

"That's why we have to work fast. I need you to help me find some ingredients to fix this mess." Marshall and I nodded at his request and we searched around the laboratory for the required materials. However I felt this nagging feeling and figured it would be better to ask than leave it alone.

"Gumball. How did this even happen in the first place?"

"A zombie bit the candy people, obviously." I let out a huff. He was avoiding the question.

"Yeah, but zombies don't just pop up out of the ground by themselves. Something has to bring them back." Marshall stopped his search as well and turned to watch me and Gumball. PG held his breath and bit his lip watching my every move. I stared at him and folded my arms in order to seem intimidating. Finally he broke our gaze by looking down to the floor.

"It was unavoidable that you'd find out. I tried to create a potion to bring the dead back to life to make Fionna human again, but it backfired."

"You did what?!"

"I'm sorry! You were just so miserable as a vampire and I couldn't stand to see you like that anymore! But Cinnamon Bun drank it before it was finished when I wasn't looking and everything went to hell! If I had known this would be the result, I would have never done this!" Once Gumball finished he started crying hysterically. _SHIT. Why did he say that?!_ My eyes widened and turned to my boyfriend with fear. Marshall looked at me with a combination of anger and betrayal before it was gone almost instantly. He walked up to my frantic friend and slapped him. He must have done that before because PG didn't look surprised.

"Here's what you're going to do. You're going to make that potion and cure everyone who's been bitten are we clear?" he said. Gumball nodded his head briskly and ran over to his equipment. I glanced over to Marshall worriedly, but he refused to look at me. Though I couldn't tell by his face, I could feel the hurt radiating off of him in waves.

I should have told him about how I was feeling. But I chickened out and now things had gone to hell. I knew Marshall felt guilty about making me a vampire so I hid how miserable I was from him. Hell I told everyone _**but**_ him.

"So… this potion or whatever; will it just stop me from becoming a zombie or…" I drifted off and didn't bother finishing my sentence. Both Gumball and Marshall knew what I was asking.

"It'll definitely turn you back into a human; that was its initial purpose after all. I'm more interested in how it'll affect Marshall though. Its purpose is to revive dead tissue."

"Oh." I looked over to my boyfriend once again to see that he had moved over and was looking out the window. I slowly made my way to his side and looked out as well. Zombies were piled ontop of one another and slowly climbing up towards the window. "Marshall, I'm so sorry I—"

"It's fine."

"No it's not. I feel awful. I should have told you sooner."

"I knew before Pinky spoiled it, I just didn't want to believe it. It kinda hurts to hear it aloud though."

"I knew you regretted making me a vampire so I didn't want to feel worse. I kept quiet because I knew you'd be even more miserable knowing that I was miserable." I turned away from mass of zombies to watch Gumball work at his lab. That was the same lab that he used to make me a heart. Now his previous work was going to be superfluous. Marshall turned around as well and I felt his gaze on me for the longest time. I shifted slightly under his scrutiny.

"I don't regret my decision you know. If I hadn't bitten you, you'd be dead. The Ice Queen would probably still be alive and I'd… I don't know what I would have done to be honest. I know the others would be heartbroken but I'd be... I'd be utterly destroyed. You're the first person I've cared for and I can't imagine my life without you." I looked away from Gumball to Marshall and felt tears welling up in my eyes. I brushed them away hurriedly and wrapped my arms around him.

"It's done." Gumball's voice made me jump and we turned to face him. Hundreds of syringes were lined up on his laboratory table and one was in his hands. "Marshall should go first since he was bitten first. After we cure you two, we'll cure everyone else." We nodded and Marshall stuck out his arm towards PG. His eyes were closed tight in anticipation as Gumball slowly rolled up the sleeve of my boyfriend's flannel shirt. I watched the needle dig into his pale skin and the green fluid disappeared from the vial as Gumball pressed down the pump.

"Did it work? Am I human?" Marshall asked and opened one eye hopefully.

"…No." I sighed and looked to the floor in disappointment. Marshall enveloped me in a hug and I rested my head on his shoulder. For some reason I knew it wouldn't work. I'm pretty sure Gumball and Marshall knew that too.

"The medicine is designed to cure those who were once alive and Marshall was born undead." PG replied sadly. He knew how much I wanted this and it pained him to see me sad. Marshall and I were supposed to live happily ever after. How the hell were we supposed to do that now?

"I know you're bummed but this isn't going to stop you from taking the medicine." Marshall sighed.

"But I'll be human again."

"Yeah that's kind of the point."

"I won't take it." I said defiantly. Suddenly all the complaints I had before vanished from my mind. Relationships were about sacrifices and I was willing to make this one for him. Marshall frowned; he obviously did not feel the same way about my decision.

"Don't be stupid. Gumball, turn her back." PG nodded and ran to get my syringe medicine. Marshall let go of me and I shoved myself away from him.

"I don't get a say in this?" I growled.

"Nope." I glowered at my boyfriend, who was currently fascinated with the window. No one told me what to do. I fought bad guys; I ate ice cream for breakfast; I could do whatever the fuck I wanted.

"You could just bite me again."

"Out of the question." He was behaving a whole lot like my father; pretending he knew what was best for me, treating me like a child. It was obnoxious.

"Then I'm staying the way I am!" I shouted and he stopped in his tracks. Marshall turned to me and glared.

"This is not an option, Fionna! If you don't take the dose you'll become a zombie and then we'll just cure you anyway."

"Well fine, we'll just wait."

"You are being so irresponsible!"

"I can do what I want. I am not a child!" My voice was getting louder every time I spoke and so was Marshall's. I'm surprised someone didn't come in and investigate. Though I do suppose walking into a room with two angry vampires isn't really the best idea.

I honestly had no idea about why I was so adamant. Marshall was right about it not being an option, but I just wanted him to know that I really didn't want to change. _"Relationships are about communication and compromise."_

"You sure are acting like one! I swear I almost wish I hadn't saved you."

"Excuse me?!" I yelled. The room when silent for a moment until Marshall let out a short breath of frustration.

"Fi, that's not what I meant." He grumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously irritated that we were fighting. I sighed and felt all of the anger leave my body only to be replaced by defeat. He was right. No matter how much I fought it tooth and nail, there was no way I could win.

"I know. I just… I just don't want to leave you alone."

"You won't."

"I've got the serum." PG said finally, breaking the almost-painful tension between me and Marshall.

"Please Fionna." His eyes were begging me to consent. I looked down at the syringe in Gumball's hand and was startled by its size. It seemed like the needle had grown to preposterous size since it had been out of my sight.

"Will it hurt?" I asked and looked up to PG. Thinking about it now, he had definitely hesitated though I failed to notice.

"No." Gumball had lied when he said it didn't hurt. It hurt like hell.

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><p><em>NOTICE: IMPORTANT MESSAGE. I'M GOING ON HIATUS FOR A LITTLE WHILE. EXPLANATION ON MY PROFILE. Since this thing is a behemoth of a chapter and I have no beta I'm sure there are a few mistakes so please message if you find some and I'll be more than happy to fix them. Also I'm writing this new story about Finn battling the seven deadly sins. It's pretty great. Check it out if you'd like. Don't forget to review and favorite!<em>


	20. The Phone Call

_MMH: edited 10/14/14. Don't forget to review!_

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><p>I gazed out the window feeling rather apathetic. The sun was bright and the grass looked warm and inviting, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything but stand at my window. Cake was chatting on the phone with someone and I didn't bother asking who.<p>

It had been two days since the incident at the Candy Kingdom and Marshall had completely disappeared from the radar. He hadn't been to visit me at the tree house once and I was tempted to visit him at his house, but something in my gut held me from it. Gunter and Sun had stayed at the tree house the entire time and were restless around me. They knew something was wrong that night when I came back as a human, but were too afraid to talk to me for fear that I'd yell at them or worse, cry.

I was contemplating staying like that all day when Cake hung up the phone and appeared by my side.

"How you feelin' baby?" she asked.

"I've been better."

"At least you're human again."

Her words sank in my stomach and I clicked my tongue in disgust. That was how this trouble started in the first place. Since when had everything gotten so complicated?

"You should have seen the look on his face, Cake. I hurt him, like, really bad," I said and the guilt returned ten-fold. Cake sighed and rubbed her paw against my back.

"Marshall's a big boy. Couples keep secrets from each other all the time."

"Not you and Mo-chro."

"Well, we do keep some secrets." She mumbled and I watched her hand creep down to her stomach and rub it. I stared at her for a moment wondering what she could have meant until she looked up at me, breaking my concentration. "Mom and Dad asked if we could stop by today."

"I suppose now is just as good a time as any." I pushed off against the window sill and grabbed my backpack which had been lying abandoned on the floor. Cake opened the front door letting in fresh air and I halted when something came to mind. "Wait. Do they know I was a… uh…"

"Yes. I've explained everything. They aren't happy about it, but they're glad you're alive."

"Thanks Cake." I smiled at my sister with pride. She always knew how to take care of things and knew exactly what I needed. Spending time with family was just what I needed.

"You aren't going to be saying that in a couple minutes." I looked at her quizzically and waited for her to continue. What else could possibly go wrong? "They want you to bring Marshall."

"Fuuuuuuuuuck." _I totally shouldn't have asked._


	21. Meet the Parents

_MMH: This chapter is coming out a bit later than I had hoped. Oh well. Can't change the past. School and work can be quite bothersome can't it? I'm going to try to update every other week. Every week was just way too stressful!_

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><p>"You aren't coming." I stated firmly for the thirteenth time in a row.<p>

"But I wanna meet 'em!" Sun whined. I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a frustrated groan. Just as Cake and I were about to leave, Sun overheard where we were going and decided he wanted to come to. After I said no he practically threw himself onto the floor and refused to get up unless he went with us. He was being so defiant lately. Who knew caring for a hulk could be so stressful?

"No! My mom is probably only cooking for three and you have the appetite of at least five men. Besides, Gunter is going to need company. You don't want him here all alone, do you?" I tried to convinced him as I bent over to him with my hands on my knees.

"I want to come too." The penguin stated as he looked up from his newspaper. For a moment it felt nice that they cared so much about me that they wanted to meet my parents, but that moment quickly went away and was replaced by frustration. It was bad enough that my sister and parents had to be present when Marshall and I were fighting, but I did not need two more people dealing with the awkwardness.

"No!"

"Fionna, just let them come. Sun isn't going to let up and if we go without them they're gonna complain for weeks." Cake sighed as she padded over to the door and lazily swung it open.

"Fiiiiine. Let's get Marshall. We're late enough as it is."

Marshall sat on his couch in his uncomfortably quiet house. Ever since that night the vampire had just lounged around the house. He was not lounging out of pity like his girlfriend (unbeknownst to him, of course) but out of boredom. If his millennium of life had taught him anything, it was that girls always needed space after a traumatic event in the relationship. He would give her about a week to sort out her feelings and then he'd visit.

A low grumble erupted from his kitchen, breaking the lonely silence, and Marshall walked over to the kitchen hesitantly. A swirling blue portal had opened on the door of his fridge and a stout demon stood in front of it with a creepy grin on his face. The ugly demon hadn't intended to look creepy, but that was just his face.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. A letter from your mother."

"Oh crud." A letter never meant anything well coming from Marshall's mother. In fact she only really contacted her son when she needed something. Worriedly he took the note and scanned it.

_**Marshall Lee,**_

_**Greetings my evil little snugglebuns! How are you and your girlfriend doing? Is she having any troubles adjusting to her new form? What about that deliciously evil penguin and adorably simple giant? I feel like we haven't talked in a while. We simply must get together some time and catch up.**_

_**With love,**_

_**Hilda Abadeer**_

_**P.S. You remember how I told you to take care of your ex-girlfriend? Well you didn't. Now she's running amok trying to become the ruler of the Nightosphere. In fact, as I'm writing this I am trapped in our family dungeon. So get your ASS BACK TO THE NIGHTOSPHERE AND KILL THAT BITCH OR SO HELP ME I WILL THROW YOUR BASS GUITAR INTO THE FIREY PITS. Hugs and kisses!**_

_Well that's not good._ Marshall thought and waved the demon away annoyed. The ugly little thing waddled back into the portal and it shrunk back into the refrigerator door. Outside he heard the faint beating of several hearts as well as a knock on the door.

I knocked on Marshall's door hesitantly. The four of us shifted uncomfortably outside waiting for him to answer. I listened closely and though my senses were now dulled to human levels I heard his footsteps thumping towards me.

"Fionna." He said surprised as he opened the door. I suppose he hadn't expected me to be proactive and come to see him myself. Why wouldn't I have gone to see him? _Well if it weren't for your parents you'd still be in your house._

"Hey Marshall..." I grinned, suppressing my nervousness. "You are cordially invited to my parent's house for a cup of tea!"

"Fi, now's not the best time. I need to go back to the—" I withheld the panic starting to bubble in my stomach. _Oh no he's going to say no. Do something!_

"Please? I can't do it without you." I pleaded and glued my eyes to the floor. My tone had changed from joking to worried almost instantaneously. There was a rift in our relationship and it was up to me to fix it. I didn't know what I would do if our relationship never repaired. "Plus, my dad would have an aneurysm if you didn't show up." I giggled and peered up to him hoping to relieve the gravity of situation. For a moment no one spoke; my moment of vulnerability had made Marshall forget whatever he was going to say. He looked behind to my sister before giving in.

"Alright." I smiled and grabbed looped his arm with mine before the four of us set off to my parent's cottage.

I had grown up in the Shiney Isles and lived there for my entire life until Cake and I decided to find our own place. My parent's house hadn't changed in the four years after we had moved out, its comfortable charm still intact. The little cottage stood proudly, its wood a chocolate brown and flowerbeds hung beneath the windows. Cake had barely knocked on the door when it swung open revealing a large Cheshire grin.

"Pumpkin! Kitten!" my father cheered as he wrapped me and Cake into a loving bear hug which had effectively pushed all the air out of our lungs.

"Hi Daddy." We choked out simultaneously. All of the yellow in his fur was now a light grey and he was hunched over slightly. He let us go and guided us all into the living room, which had the smell of cookies and apple pie permeating from the kitchen. The wallpaper was decorated with tiny pink flowers and dozens of swords mounted the walls. The cat-sized couch and tiny lounge chairs faced opposite each other and I smiled; it was the same furniture that they had when I was growing up. Cake and Gunter took a spot on the couch while Sun sat on the floor, afraid to break any of the furniture. My father and Cake looked at each other and he suddenly had a knowing face. I turned when the door closed and looked to Marshall, who looked pathetically uncomfortable. _That's right. They wanted to meet him._

"Oh Daddy, this is my—"

"Your mother's in the kitchen. Fionna, you should go see if she needs any help. Cake, that penguin, the giant, and I can catch up." He cut me off and smiled at me innocently. Catching the not so subtle hint that he left out Marshall, I took my boyfriend's hand and led him to my mother and hopefully, a more welcoming atmosphere.

"Fionna! How are you darling?" my mother asked as she pulled a giant ham out of the fridge. Her fur had slightly greyed over time like my father's had, but she still maintained a sense of grace and beauty which my father never had in the first place. He was always strong and dignified and the two complimented each other beautifully. After she placed the ham onto the kitchen counter my mother glided up to me and gave me a warm, loving hug.

"I'm fine."

"Is this Marshall?"

"Yeah." I replied shyly and brushed my bangs away from my face. She stood in front of Marshall and looked up to him studying his features thoughtfully. Her tiny frame looking up at the tall, slender vampire was quite amusing to witness.

"Well aren't you attractive?" she cooed and smiled innocently at him. Both Marshall and I blushed in embarrassment

"Mom!" She let out a hearty laugh at my reaction.

"No need to be embarrassed sweetheart. Here you two bring the tea out and I'll make the sandwiches." My mom shoved the trays of teacups into our hands and ushered us back into the living room.

"Your mom seems nice." Marshall whispered in to my ear.

"Yeah, I'm quite attached to her." I teased and we smiled at each other. The two of us made our way back to everyone else to hear my father and Cake talking.

"Congratulations darling."

"What are you congratulating Cake for?" I asked curiously. My father cleared his throat and my sister sat back onto my favorite lounge chair. _Bitch stole my favorite seat._

"It's nothing, Fi. Did you help your mother?" he said quickly and rubbed his paws together in anticipation.

"Yup."

"Would any of you like some tea and food?" My mother asked behind me and Marshall with a plate of sandwiches in her hands.

"Sure. Put the plate and cups on the table." My father suggested. The six of us attacked the plate while my mother stood up patiently waiting for us to be finished. For a moment there was nothing but slurps and the occasional cough. It was so awkward. Not knowing what else to do, I decided to shovel my entire sandwich into my mouth and attempted to chew though rather unsuccessfully. The only people who did not seem to be bothered by the awkwardness was my father and Sun. Sun was just blissfully unaware, but my father seemed to be reveling in it.

"So… how did you two meet?" My mother, always the hostess, tried to end the silence with pleasant conversation. Marshall, seeing that my mouth was stuffed full of ham sandwich, decided to answer.

"Well Fionna was walking through the Evil Forest one night—"

"Why were you in the woods in the middle of the night, Fionna?" my father turned to me and asked curiously, as if Marshall had simply finished his sentence and was not in the middle of it.

"I had to help Prince Gumball get some medicine to his grandmother." By this time I had managed to choke down my sandwich. It was probably best that I did not do that again.

"I've always liked that boy; so smart and full of charisma." My father stated contently and took a small sip of his tea. Marshall looked at him with a slight hint of irritation on his face.

"Yeahhh. Well she was walking through the woods and I saw her—"

"Why were you watching her?" this was the second time that my dad had interrupted my boyfriend and third time total. _Not good._

"Oh, uh, I was just flying overhead and I saw her and—"

"You weren't going to hurt my baby girl, were you son?" my dad's eyes became slits and he leaned over in his chair threateningly.

"No! I'd never do that!"

"Except for when you bit her." Electricity burned between my boyfriend and my father so I decided to jump in to try to get the conversation back on track.

"Anyway, he saved me from this weird magic girl who had turned me into a giant foot." I lied. Of course I had lied. If my father found out how Marshall and I really met, glob knows what he would have done.

"That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard." Gunter chimed in cynically. I glared daggers at him and he quickly shrunk back into his seat without saying another word.

"It's true." Well, I _**did**_ fight this weird magic girl who turned me into a foot once, it just so happened that it was before I met Marshall. I looked to my sister for encouragement and she quickly caught on.

"That's right. I felt so guilty that I hadn't gone with her—"

"You went through the Evil Forest alone? Darling, you know how dangerous that can be. I was walking alone through those very woods when I was attacked by a vampire." He shook his head at me disapprovingly. My eyes grew wide and I turned to Cake shocked to see that she was completely ignoring eye contact and instead was rather fascinated by a tiny piece of lint in the carpet. I looked to my mother to see her head was placed firmly in her paw. "You wanna hear about the time I was attacked by a vampire, my boy?" I almost spit out my tea. How could my dad not recognize Marshall? His memory had been dwindling over the past few years so it had been possible that he couldn't remember what his attacker looked like after all this time. _Or he's just being a total douche and trying to scare my boyfriend away. Either one is likely._

"I'm sure that story would best be saved for another time, Joshua." My mother cooed as she tried to coax my father away from the topic. She plopped a second plate of tiny sandwiches onto the coffee table hoping to distract him.

"Mom's right. Besides, don't you want some more food?" Cake agreed and grabbed a sandwich for emphasis.

"Nonsense! Everyone here's got a strong stomach."

"No dad." I said firmly. He looked at me surprised, but thankfully dropped the subject and took a sandwich.

"How is your relationship going so far?" He asked politely.

"Well we have had a few fights recently." Marshall mentioned and it took all I could not to look mortified. _I can't let my father think my first relationship is failing!_

"All couples fight though. You and Daddy are excellent proof that a lively debate won't ruin a relationship." I smiled to my mother who nodded in agreement.

"And though we've hit a rough patch, I'm sure we can get through it."

"That is ridiculous!" My father huffed quietly to himself. I had barely caught his comment, but I knew everyone else heard it as well. _Shit._

"I beg your pardon sir?" Marshall hissed and put down his cup onto the coffee table in between my father and us.

"I like this tea. Where ever did you get it?" Gunter turned to my mother and asked, desperately trying to ignore the uncomfortable situation before him.

"Oh it's nothing. I was just thinking aloud." He stated and waved his hand like he was brushing the topic away.

"I like the tea too!" Sun agreed and took another slurp excitedly, ignorant to the fact that Gunter had not honestly thought the tea that was good.

"What were you thinking about that was so ridiculous?"

"It's just that a vampire and my daughter getting along; the chances of your relationship lasting is very unlikely."

"Daddy!" Cake and I squealed.

"Joshua!" My mother reprimanded at the same time.

"Fionna and I are happy together!"

"Oh please! Can you not see how miserable my baby girl is?" He rested his elbows against his knees and leaned closer to the two of us in concern. This whole time my father had remained entirely calm, but Marshall was practically seething.

"I saved her!"

"You hurt her. She gave up everything for you and you ruined it." I couldn't take it anymore. I threw my teacup against the wooden table and I stood as it shattered into pieces. The tea pooled over the edge and the carpet quickly soaked up the tea which left an ugly stain against the cream flooring.

"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!"

"Fionna! That was my best china." My mother scolded disappointingly.

"Why would you ask me to bring Marshall if you were going to ignore and insult him the whole time?"

"I haven't been ignoring him. Besides he needs to know how you're feeling. If you won't tell him and he can't see it for himself I have to take control."

"I think it's time I leave." Marshall decided and got up to head for the door.

"Please don't. My husband had a tendency to be a bit blunt." My mother gently reached out and took a hold of his arm.

"No, it's fine. I have somewhere to be anyway. It was nice to meet you both." The front door was open and closed in an instant and it took me a good couple seconds to realize what had happened before I got up and bolted after him.

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><p>"Where are you going?" Fionna cried as she ran to catch up to Marshall. Luckily he had not taken off yet. He heard her coming towards him and turned to her expectantly. "What's wrong?"<p>

"Listen Fi, I need to leave for a little while." Marshall said, trying to hold back the nervous quiver in his throat. Surprisingly what her father had said had not affected him that much. Sure it made him angry, but her dad was right. What bothered him the most was that Fi had been so miserable and he hadn't seen it.

_Stop it. You aren't leaving because of her. You're leaving because you need to help your mum._

"What?"

"Just for a little bit. Besides, I think we need a little time apart. There's so much going on and neither of us can handle it."

"And you think that dumping me will fix that?" her voice cracked. She was clearly panicking. This situation was probably entirely new to her. In fact, she had never had a boyfriend before Marshall. For a second, he briefly reconsidered his decision.

"I'm not dumping you. It's not like I'm gonna take off or anything. I just need to figure some things out." He tried to comfort her, but was pretty unsuccessful.

"Is this because of my dad? Because fuck him. I don't care what he thinks." She mumbled and looked at the grass in despair.

"It's not because of him." That was only partly true.

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><p>"Listen, I need to leave for the night and I don't want you to worry. I should be back by tomorrow morning. I'll call you then and we can talk okay?" Marshall lifted my chin and looked down at me nervously. For some reason I couldn't remember what my life was like before he came along. So much had happened while he was by my side and now he was leaving? It had only been a couple months for glob's sake! Suddenly my emotions shut off and my eyes went cold.<p>

"I don't care. Do what you want." I did not even bother going back to get the others. I simply left, went back to the tree house, and crawled into bed. Marshall hadn't even tried to stop me.

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><p><em>Don't hate me, d'okay? Poor Marshall Lee, he's just as incapable of understanding women as every other man! Did you guys like how I kept changing viewpoints? Or was it just annoying? Let me know! I'm really excited for what's gonna pop up next. What do you think is going to happen?<strong> Special thanks to , ThePandaHat, DeathKiss14, CrazyRainbowz, BringMeBelugas, and Fiolee123 for reviewing! Also thank you XxColorfulxPainxX for favoriting!<strong> Don't forget to favorite if you like it and review no matter what._


	22. A Proper Thank You pt 1

_MMH: Hello my lovelies! How is everyone doing? I've been looking forward to this for a while. Not that this chapter is super amazing or anything, but stuff is going to start happening again. Like crazy, awesome, fun stuff. I'm pretty excited so you should too. I also edited Chapter 5, 6, and 7. Check them out. Enjoy and don't forget to review!_

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><p>"Babydoll? You okay?" My sister asked softly as she poked her head into our room.<p>

"No." I grumbled into the pillow. Cake sighed and closed the door after she let herself to our room. Gunter and Sun had officially moved in since Marshall and I got into the fight. He said he would visit when he had the time, but it had been five days and he hadn't dropped by once. I had gone from seeing him all the time to not at all. _'I don't care. Do what you want.'_ Had I been too harsh? If only I had the chance to go back and change what I had said. Suddenly my mind was thrown back to when I was last wallowing in my bed due to Marshall Lee the Vampire King. _I'm right back where I started._ "He isn't even speaking to me. What kind of dickhead move is that?" I looked up to my sister who looked down at me with concern. A hint of envy hit me when I realized Cake and Mo-chro had never had any sort of dispute, but Marshall and I practically had issues from the start.

"It's okay baby. I'm sure he just needs time to cool off. At least he didn't leave." She comforted as she bent over to pick up my rabbit hat, which I had thrown off angrily without thinking before I had crawled into bed. As she handed it to me I looked at it with disgust. Marshall hated how the hat hid my hair. It hurt how everything reminded me of him without much effort. I suppose that's what happens when you spend practically every waking second with someone.

"Yeah… I guess…" I sighed and let the hat drop from my hands onto the floor. Cake exhaled a breath of defeat as sat on the edge of my bed and rubbed my leg in comfort. I know that she meant well, but her presence did nothing. It certainly did not make me feel worse, but it definitely didn't make me feel better. There must have been someone at the door because Cake and I heard Sun thumping towards the door and swinging it open. There was a brief moment of murmuring before my eardrums were essentially burst.

"FIONNA! IT'S FOR YOU!" Sun shouted as his booming words literally shook the house. I leapt in surprise and Cake clawed to my shirt for protection.

"Homeboy better be glad I don't have super-hearing anymore." I said as I wiggled a finger in my ear, checking to see if I could actually still hear correctly after the sonic boom that was Sun's screaming. How horrible it would have been if I _**was**_ still a vampire…

"WHAT?" Cake said loudly momentarily deaf from the event. I giggled and pushed her off beside me onto the bed. After making sure I looked as decent as possible in the mirror, I hopped out of bed and scampered downstairs to see who was at the door. I passed by the kitchen and noticed Gunter was cooking away. He had taken up the activity when he moved in with us, as a way of coping, and he became rather good at it. I also saw that the cloak that Gumball had given me was sprawled carelessly on a chair. _How did that get there?_

"Hey Fionna!" a tiny flame creature peeked into view as I gently pushed the giant out of the doorway. All of the grass that he was standing on had burned and the soil had dried into ashes. He held in his hands a black clump of something I couldn't distinguish.

"Hey Flambo." I waved semi-enthusiastically and knelt down as much as I could to his level. Sun returned to the couch and began playing the videogame that had been paused on BMO. I shivered slightly. The temperature had cooled over the past week and the days were becoming shorter; winter was definitely coming.

"Where's your rabbit ears?" he questioned with a thick accent and raised his eyebrows curiously. I was a bit taken aback. Were they really that important?

"I can't find 'em. What's up?" I lied quickly in order to change the subject. I had no real reason to lie, but I couldn't bring myself to explain, especially since the explanation was a tad silly. Why did it even matter that I wasn't wearing them anyway?

"The Flame Prince insists that he wants ta come over for a proper thank yous. He also mentioned to, uh, fire-proof everything yous don't want burned." He chuckled as he handed me what I then realized to be a bouquet of charred roses. The burnt stems rubbed against the palm of my hand and stained it black.

"Oh that's sweet Flambo, but I don't think I want to see any visitors right now." I really shouldn't have been rejecting thanks from anyone at that moment. Aside from Gumball, this Flame Prince was the only royal so far who was willing to acknowledge me at the moment, much less thank me. It was like the other princes assumed that me going off to rescue them was its own reward. It's not like I wanted a huge present or a party or anything, but a simple "thank you" was good to get every now and then.

Unexpectedly, I was shoved out of my train of thought as well as the doorway by my sister. I fell to the floor on my butt and groaned from the pain as the bouquet sailed through the air and practically disintegrated into a pile of ash beside the couch. Cake could tackle a person to the ground like she was a giant demon instead of her little furry self.

"Nonsense, Fionna. Flambo you tell that Flame Prince she'll be ready by six." She said happily. Flambo grinned at my sister making my decision for me, most likely because he was relieved that he didn't have to deliver bad news.

"Excellent. The Flame Prince'll be heres at six o'clock on the dot." Flambo bowed and quickly bolted away back to the Fire Kingdom before I could protest, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Cake shut the door, cutting off the cool air outside. It took me a moment to realize what had just happened and I bolted up angrily.

"What the hell, you crazy cat?!" I shouted. My sister turned to me with a flame of hostility in her eyes, but it diminished as quickly as it came. I immediately calmed down; clearly she was not in the mood to put up with my crap.

"Listen! A prince stroking your ego is gonna do you some good. You've been moping around ever since you and Marshall Lee got in that fight and I refuse to let you wallow any longer. Besides he's just coming over to thank you."

"It's been less than a week! I feel I have the right to mope." I was right. It's totally normal to feel bad after fighting with someone you love and my sister was pushing me into going out and socializing.

"You're Fionna the Human- The greatest adventurer ever! Greatest adventurers don't mope!"

"It's not like we've broken up or anything. We're just fighting!"

"You can't just pretend that he didn't say that he thinks you two need a break." Cake looked up at me, with that rather blunt statement might I add. Her words had stung and I slid down against the wall until my butt touched the floor. My arms propped up against my knees in defeat. Realizing her insensitivity, she crawled beside me for comfort and I softly started to scratch her back. "I know it hurts, but he was your first boyfriend." She started softly. "You'll have plenty of other guys to fall in love with and who'll break your heart…" I glared down at Cake, but she continued undeterred, "… but I know for a fact that there is someone out there who will make it all worthwhile. You just have to wait for the perfect someone who you'll fight with and love and laugh with. All the moments you'll have together will be precious and you won't want to change them for anything."

"Thanks Cake." I smiled weakly and bent over to give her a giant hug. She was right. Having my heart broken sucked, but there wasn't much I could do except for get over it. I could cry all I wanted, but that wouldn't make Marshall crawl back to me. I had to be strong; it would seem silly to crumble all because of a boy. "I suppose I should get cleaned up for the Flame Prince, huh?" I sighed as I let her go.

"It depends. Maybe the Flame Prince is into depressed girls who haven't brushed their teeth or showered in about a week." She said sarcastically as she looked up to me with a mischievous grin on her face. I returned it playfully.

"Rude." I stood up and headed upstairs. I grabbed some change of clothes from my room and was about to head to the bathroom when a flash in the mirror had caught my eye. I looked at my reflection with apathy and glanced down to see the necklace that Marshall had given me. That was the only gift I had received for my birthday. It seems that all the other gifts that had been at my party mysteriously disappeared. The necklace was the only thing I got a chance to open. The hug-wolf fang traced the top of my scar and I frowned; two reminders of him. How the hell was I supposed to stop being sad if everything around me- and on me for that matter- reminded me of him? _What the hell, Marshall Lee?_ My eyes began to water, but I wiped the tears away hastily before any could fall.

"You should probably take that shower now." I looked over to the door and saw Cake standing there arms crossed and a sympathetic look across her face. I nodded and collected my clothes before heading to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

Getting ready to see the Flame Prince had made me more anxious than I had originally anticipated. I was not all that well acquainted with him so I did not know what to expect. _But Flambo just said he was just coming over to thank me, right? That's not a big deal._

Cake, BMO, Sun, and I had gathered into the living room to wait for our guest to arrive while Gunter was still cooking away in the kitchen. Instead of my usual outfit I put on some pants and a long-sleeved blue plaid shirt. I left rabbit ears upstairs so I somehow managed to put all of my long, blonde hair up into a ponytail. It felt weird not being in my regular adventuring clothes. I didn't even know why I was dressing up. It wasn't like I'm going to be doing anything. I glanced over to the clock and it read 6:02. _What's taking him so long?! Pick up the pace, bro!_

I jumped when I heard the knock at the door. I got up and opened the door to reveal the same flambit from earlier and the Flame Prince. It surprised me how attractive he was. The last time I had seen him I was a vampire with a boyfriend and his flame was missing. How much we both had changed. The fire on his head I could only assume to be his hair was styled up into a mohawk and his eyes were a bright, surprisingly inviting, red.

"You're more beautiful than I remember." FP said as he bowed to me in greeting.

"What." That comment had completely caught me off-guard. Just what exactly did he think this "proper thanking" involved?

"Did you like the bouquet of flowers I sent over?" He asked hopefully. My eyes shifted to the spot where the pile of ash had once sat, but was now in the trash thanks to Gunter sweeping it up earlier.

"Oh yes. They were…lovely."

"Are you ready to go?"

"Go where?" I asked confused. I could have sworn that Flambo said FP was just going to thank me and then he'd be on his merry way. Or did he say that last part? I had forgotten.

"We're going out for a thank you. I told Flambo to tell you." He turned to me and we both exchanged puzzled expressions. Quickly I came to the realization that the Flame Prince actually intended for me to go _**out**_ with him. _Like a date?_ _Why?_

"Oh… he just said you were coming over to thank me so I assumed you'd only…" I drifted off, embarrassed by the miscommunication.

"Say no more. I understand." The Flame Prince smile as he reassured me. His face was bright and understanding, but when he looked to the little flambit at his side his appearance changed drastically. Flames covered him and fireballs appeared in the palm of his hands as he towered over the little figure. I could do little but simply stand in the doorway awkwardly. "FLAMBO! How dare you mislead Lady Fionna like that?!"

"I-I'm terribly sorry your highness." Flambo cowered at the sight of the Flame Prince quite literally exploding at him.

"As well you should be! You've ruined the whole night! I have half a mind to—"

"It's not a big deal! Don't worry." I jumped in before something bad happened to the little creature. The two looked at me with very different expression; Flame Prince gazed at me affectionately while Flambo gave me a look of great gratitude. "Let me just get my jacket." I rushed, trying to come up with anything to stop the fighting. Though I didn't mind physically fighting other people, I simply could not stand when someone was threatening someone smaller than them.

The prince and the flambit waited patiently outside the door as I turned around to look at the others in the room. Sun and Cake's eyes were wide and BMO had a surprised emoticon on his screen. I hooked my hand around Cake's arm and hauled her along.

"Kitchen. Now." I whispered to my sister. I dragged her into the kitchen, where Gunter was still making sweets, and practically threw her into a chair.

"What?!" Cake shouted which startled Gunter into dropping a tray of chocolate chip cookies he had just pulled from the oven. We looked at him surprised as he blushed furiously and quickly excused himself into the living room.

"Still think him "stroking my ego" is such a good idea?" I hissed as I turned back at her. The Flame Prince was in no way stable, but there was also no way I could turn him down.

"It's too late for that now. If we decline he'll probably burn down the tree house." She shrugged coolly and took a cookie from the floor before taking a large bite.

"Yeah, well when Marshall gets back he's gonna smash the tree house and the Flame Prince to pieces."

"He's not coming back, Fionna. Why can't you just accept that?" she spat out as she jumped out of her chair to look me in the eyes. I let out a small gasp and it felt like my heart shriveled.

"You weren't there! He is going to come back." I defended softly with tears threatening to fall from my eyes. Suddenly her face and voice softened when she saw my fragile state. "Why are you being so mean?"

"I… I can't say right now. It's just so much is happening and not just the whole Marshall thing. I'm sorry I'm just very stressed out." She sighed. I wanted to continue the angry whispering match and was willing to do so if Cake hadn't suddenly lost her strength and grabbed onto the chair for support.

"Are you okay?" I asked concerned as I took ahold of her arm for comfort. Cake looked at me appreciatively and nodded her head.

"I'm fine. You should go out with Fireball before he catches our doorway on fire. Don't forget your jacket." I nodded and grabbed my red jacket that Gumball had made for me from the table before guiding Cake back into the living room. We could fight later.

We walked back in to see Sun hummed suspiciously to himself as he towered above the doorframe. He bent down and stuck his face directly in front of the Flame Prince. "Are you gonna take care of Fionna?"

"Of course! I will do everything in my power to make sure she returns to you in pristine condition." His regal voice was comforting, but it also startled me quite a bit. It was almost like he had a split personality. Ignoring that unsettling thought I felt pride and love welling up in my heart as I looked at the giant in front of me. It was nice to know that all of my friends were so concerned about my well-being. A gentle pull of my sock distracted me from the somewhat hilarious staring contest between the Flame Prince and Sun. I looked down to see BMO's sweet face gazing up at me expectantly.

"Lift me up." I did so happily. When I brought BMO over to Flame Prince's eye-level his face shifted from sweet to terrifying within a millisecond. "If you hurt Fionna, I will kill you."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

"Good." I shifted my sight from BMO to the Flame Prince with what I can only call a mix of terror and surprise. If the prince _**had**_ hurt me on our... outing, what exactly would BMO have planned?

"Are you ready, Lady Fionna?" The Flame Prince asked as he looked up to me warmly. I quickly changed my expression to a more neutral appearance and slowly nodded. There wasn't anything I could do. "Flambo, you may return to the Fire Kingdom for the rest of the night. I have no use of you." The flambit bowed obediently and was gone in a flash. I stepped outside my doorway and the Flame Prince and I began to walk away to wherever he had planned for us to go.

"Have her back before midnight!" Gunter called out from behind Cake and Sun.

"She doesn't kiss on the first date!" My sister shouted and I glared back at her. How could she insinuate that this was a date?!

"Make sure she doesn't have any sweets or she'll wake up in the middle of the night with a tummy ache!" BMO beeped excitedly, never one to be forgotten.

"GUYS! SHUT UP!"

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><p><em>What do you think is going to happen on the date? What's wrong with Cake? Did any of you actually think that I'd bring the Flame Prince back? I'd love to hear. <strong>Fun fact<strong>: I love the Flame Prince. Well, more of his personality. I think crazy/unstable people are very interesting since I am a Psychology major and all... Anywho, don't forget to favorite if you like it and review no matter what!_

_Special thanks to ThePandaHat, CrazyRainbowz, youcandropthebassnow, DeathKiss14, XxQueenOfSpades3013xX, BringMeBelugas, insane677, I-Hate-Pink-With-A-Passion7, BarleyRice, snowball18, and blueninja10101 for favoriting and/or reviewing!_


	23. A Proper Thank You pt 2

_MMH: Hello there! Hmmm part 2; exciting, no? Sorry this is a bit delayed, what with Thanksgiving and all. I did not plan that well... Anywho enjoy and don't forget to review when you're done._

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><p>The Flame Prince and I were walking around what seemed to be aimlessly and neither of us had said a word had been said once we had left the tree house. He kept grasping his hands nervously and I had caught him reaching out for my hand before pulling back just before he touched my skin. He also could not seem to stop touching his hard which was styled up into a bright orange mohawk. I tugged on my jacket uncomfortably and tried to ignore his, admittedly, rather adorable shyness. However the awkwardness had reached unbearable levels and I finally decided to speak up.<p>

"So where are we headed?" I asked cheerily. Though I had been roped into this… _**outing**_ somewhat forcefully I decided to make the most of it. Surely there wasn't anything the Flame Prince could do that I couldn't handle. He turned to me with a puzzled look before realizing what I was talking about.

"That's right, Flambo did not tell you. We're headed to the fire festival."

"Fire festival?" I asked curiously and slowed my walking. I had never heard of this event before. Mind you the Fire Kingdom usually kept to itself, effectively shutting out the rest of Ooo. The Flame Prince nodded proudly and slowed his pace to match mine.

"It used to happen in the spring to signal the beginning of summer, but it was just recently agreed to move it in order to bring in the winter season. It's sort of like the last hurrah of warmth until spring comes again."

"That's pretty cool!" This festival sounded pretty interesting; I was probably the first outsider to see this event and I was not going to pass up the chance.

We made our way over the hill to reveal lines of volcanoes decorating the skyline leading up to a castle surrounded by fire. The sky, which was a dark blue from behind us, was streaked with a deep red behind the land of fire. A mark on the ground clearly separated the cool, green grass where we were standing from the maroon clay of the Fire Kingdom. I stopped in my tracks before becoming consumed in the heat.

"Oh. It's _in_ the Fire Kingdom?" I hesitated and he stopped not long after me. _So that's why I had never heard of it_. No one outside the fire citizens had ever seen it before. I stared at the Fire Kingdom and nervously bit my lip. "Won't I, like, die?"

"Don't worry." The Flame Prince chuckled when he saw my hesitation. "Just be still." He turned to me and closed his eyes. I barely heard him whisper something in a language I couldn't understand. Small sparks contorted into runic symbols around me and him as he moved his hands and arms in a distinct pattern. He told ahold of my hand and my skin grew very hot and I let out a small hiss of pain until a blue glow surrounded me. My hand quickly returned to its previous temperature and the Flame Prince let it go before looking at me with a satisfied grin. "Done."

"What'd you do?"

"I cast a flame shield. It'll protect you whenever you come in close contact with extreme heat, but it'll only last for a few hours."

"So I won't die?"

"Nope." He replied. Still not entirely sure, I stuck my hand over the line on the ground into the Fire Kingdom and it felt only slightly warmer than how it had originally. I pulled back my hand and turned to the Flame Prince who still had that delighted smile.

"I'm not breaking some sort of rule by going in there, am I?" I asked. The thought of walking into the Fire Kingdom without any sort of back up made me incredibly hesitant. If I got into trouble while there, no one could come rescue me.

"Not at all. You are a royal guest and whatever my family says is held with the highest respect."

"Ah." Clearly me going to this fire festival meant a lot to the prince and he was not going to let me out of it easily. Cautiously I stepped across the divide and was pleased to realize that the temperature was like a warm summer day. The Flame Prince quickly followed suit and we headed over to the kingdom that was surrounded by stalls and tents. The cheerful noises grew louder and soon we were surrounded by thousands of happy flame people.

For some reason the Fire Kingdom wasn't nearly as intimidating now that I saw it up close. Sure the citizens were somewhat startling, but they seemed to be just as nice as all the other people of Ooo. It reminded me a lot of the Candy Kingdom only the Fire Kingdom was, well, more on fire. We walked past the line of stands and enjoyed watching the flame people playfully bolt in and out of our way. Flambits raced around, chasing each other like children. A rather large and grotesque looking Lava Man stood at a food booth as the Flame Prince strolled up to him casually and took something from him without paying. Just as quickly as he left, the prince returned with what appeared to be an apple on a stick except that the apple was glowing. Without a word he generously held it out for me to try and I gave him an incredulous look.

"I promise it won't hurt you." I looked at him suspiciously, but he continued to silently assure me with his smile. I took it from him and snuck a cautious bite. _Mmmm, it tastes like cinnamon apple._

"It's pretty good." I admitted with a hesitant smile. His cocky smile reappeared with a vengeance and he titled his head slightly upwards.

"I knew it." I giggled at his smugness and I playfully swiped the apple from his hand. We continued to make our way around the festival and watched the people have fun. As we walked past we watched fire jugglers entertaining the little children whose hands were full of spicy candies. The Flame Prince guided me to what seemed to be the center of the event as we spoke.

"So I've been curious, how did the Ice Queen manage to capture you anyway?" I questioned as I took another bite of the flaming fruit. It was rather delicious and I'm sure it pleased him to see me enjoying it so thoroughly.

"She poured water on me and kept far enough away so I couldn't melt her." He winced at the memory and I felt a twinge of sympathy. While most of the other princes probably were simply captured without a single hair being harmed, he was put in physical pain in order to be apprehended.

"Rough."

"Yes she was quite intimidating being a water elemental and all, but I knew you would beat her easily since you're one too." I cast a confused glance to him and took another mouthful of the apple.

"What do you mean?"

"When you left the cave that night I saw that you had water coming out of your eyes." He replied as he turned to me concerned at the recollection. I bit my lip and quickly decided to change the subject. The Ice Queen was still a sore spot for me. _Perhaps I could have done something to help her…_

"Oh, I was just crying. That's what humans do."

"So you're not a water elemental?" he asked hesitantly, still obviously not convinced.

"No." I said definitely and tossed the remaining apple core into one of the hundreds of bonfires that had been set up. The core sizzled briefly before becoming enveloped in flames.

"Then why do you secrete water when you're sad?" the Flame Prince asked.

"Well, that's just what my body does. When I'm sad I cry and when I go on adventures I get all sweaty."

"Why?"

"…I dunno. Mom tried to teach me about it once, but I got all confused." I admitted. This Flame Prince sure was curious. It was interesting to see such a naïve point of view in regards to my world. Though I did not know everything about my life and the land of Ooo, I certainly knew more than a prince that lived in the fiery land that kept to itself.

"Fascinating." He whispered with his eyes full of interest. I laughed at the Flame Prince and he blushed. At first I was quite nervous to go on this "outing" with him, but it was turning out to be really fun. I had feared that his temper would be more prominent, but it had not shown up at all.

I had not really noticed that we had been heading for a certain point until the Flame Prince stopped suddenly. I quickly did the same and turned to what he was looking at quizzically. A decent amount of people had horded together around a small metallic volcano. The seven-foot structure had four short pillars with large basins on top of them; one was blue, one was white, one was red, and one was green.

"What's this?" I questioned. I looked around it was obvious that I was the only person who wasn't aware as to what was going on.

"One of the rituals we do is combining the four elements of nature." He said. The Flame Prince broke his concentration on the monument and looked to me hopefully. "I know you said you aren't a water elemental, but I was wondering if you'd like to participate. If you don't want to we have a backup, but I'd still like it if you helped." He rushed the last part out quickly, like he was scared that I would say no. I smiled warmly at him and his fears were almost instantly alleviated.

"Sure thing." The Flame Prince pointed me to a group of three people who were wearing sophisticated red robes, each holding an item that represented an element. They had a tree branch, a fan, and a ball of fire. We hiked up the volcano and I stood in my respective position in front of the blue bowl. Unsure of what exactly to do, I looked to the other people that were with me. Each person had place their item into the bowl and descended without saying anything. _What do I do? I don't really have water with me… Wait a second._ Without thinking much further I collected saliva in my mouth and spat it out into the bowl. Everything was quiet as I turned to face the mass of people. _Fuck! Did I offend them_?_ What else was I supposed to do?_ Without warning, colorful beams of light shot out from the basins and danced around in the sky. The crowd cheered and I felt a wave of relief wash over me as I smiled at them shyly before shuffling my way back down the tiny mountain.

"You were fabulous!" The Flame Prince beamed and picked me up and spun me around.

"Thanks. It really wasn't that big of a deal."

"But it was! No outsider has ever helped with the festival and it has often been quite difficult to get water into the fire kingdom without it evaporating." He said as he placed me safely back onto the ground.

"Well the next time you need my spit you are more than welcome to ask." I chuckled awkwardly as he continued to stare at me with the utmost admiration. I cleared my throat and he snapped out of his gaze. "Say do you have a nickname or something?"

"Why? Do you not like my name?" The Flame Prince pouted slightly and began to glow brighter, but quickly returned to normal. I could tell he was trying to control his temper and I wasn't really helping. I couldn't say whatever I wanted like I could with everyone else.

"Oh it's great and everything, it's just that it sounds too formal for me to be using it all the time. I like giving nicknames to my friends. Like, I call Prince Gumball PG, since his first name is kind of embarrassing, and I call Lord Monochromicorn Mo-chro, and I call Marshall Lee…" I had almost forgotten about him. I felt the pain of rejection all over again. _Way to pour salt in your own wound, Fionna_. "Well, I don't really call him much."

"My first name is Flint. You could call me that." He suggested, oblivious to the pang of hurt I had just inflicted upon myself. I smiled weakly at him and nodded.

"Cool. I'll call you Flint."

"I like the way you say my name, Lady Fionna." Flint whispered and scooted close to me. I scooted farther away from him instinctively, both to prevent burning (which would not happen since I had that spell put on me) and to prevent leading him on. I felt rather bad about rejecting his advances, but I think he enjoyed spending time with me all the same. _This must be how Gumball felt when I liked him._

"You don't need to call me 'lady'. Just Fionna is fine by me."

"But you saved me. Therefore, you must be treated with the utmost respect." _If only everyone felt that way._ I felt a soft tap on my shoulder and I turned to see a tall, elegant looking woman towering over me. Two young fire wolves stood loyally at her side, careful not to step on her long red dress. Her bright yellow skin glowed in admiration as she looked at the two of us.

"So you are the heroine that saved my son from that horrible Ice Hag." The Fire Queen smiled and stuck out a dainty hand in my direction. I winced slightly at the queen calling the Ice Queen a "hag", but I quickly changed it to a smile as to not offend her. I took her hand in mine and shook it politely.

"It really was just all in a day's work, your majesty." I replied humbly.

"Flint darling, would you mind if I spoke with Lady Fionna for a moment?" he shook his head and bowed to me before heading over to a group of children that were transfixed upon the lights twirling about in the sky. He picked up a little girl and placed her on his shoulders for a better view. The girl squealed with joy and offered him a piece of candy. The Flame Queen and I watched contently before she decided to speak.

"As you may or may not have noticed, my son has quite the temper. Before the Ice Witch captured him he was kept in a lamp since he was a child to prevent him from destroying Ooo. However he managed to break out and he was kidnapped. When he was saved he simply could not stop talking about you. I don't think I've ever seen the boy so happy; he's been happier and more social, quite unusual for any royal in the Fire Kingdom. Flint is still very emotionally unstable, but I think your relationship with him is helping to control his anger." I looked at her dumbfounded when she looked at me. The meaningful smile on her lips did not equal well for me. _Relationship? Does she think Flint and me are a thing? We just met!_

"Your Highness, I think you have the wrong idea…" I could not finish before Flint returned with the small girl still on his shoulders.

"The spell is about to wear off, Lady Fionna. We should probably get you home." He sighed sadly as he placed the girl on the ground. She scurried away happily back to where she had been standing.

"Yes. We would hate to have our heroine burst into flames. Flint, you should walk her home." The Flame Queen suggested and raised her eyebrow knowingly at her son. Before I could protest she had gracefully slipped away and I was left with Flint.

"You ready to head out?"

"You really don't need to walk me home. I'm pretty sure I know the way back."

"I insist. It's the least I can do." The walk back was just as quiet and awkward as the walk to the festival had been; only this time it was for a different reason entirely. Flint was clearly infatuated with me, but I hoped it was merely puppy love. After all, his mother did say he grew up in a gigantic lamp. He probably had almost no social interaction. He probably was never even held when he was scared or sad or angry. _He must have been so lonely._ The spell had worn off when I left the Fire Kingdom so Flint kept a safe distance from me. We finally reached my tree house and I stopped at my doorway to bid him goodnight.

"I had a really fun time tonight. It really means a lot to me that you were kind enough to thank me the way you did. The only person to thank me aside from you was PG and he just said it." I ducked my head down embarrassed at the confession. Being a hero was often a thankless job and, though I hated to admit it, it sometimes got to me. _Did PG thank me? I can't remember... yeah, yeah I think he did._

"That was only part of my thanks." By the time I looked up to ask what he meant, his face was centimeters from mine. In a panic I pulled back so quickly that I banged the back of my head on the door._ Holy shit! He was gonna kiss me!_ I winced in pain and he reached out before stopping when he realized that the spell was no longer effective. "I'm sorry. That was very forward of me."_  
><em>

"No, it's fine. I just—" _No Fi. It's not fine. HE WAS GOING TO KISS YOU._

"I understand, Lady Fionna. You just need time for your heart to heal and I'll wait for you." he interrupted.

"What."

"I hope we hang go out again soon." I stood there at a loss for words as I watched Flint head back to the Fire Kingdom, leaving a trail of fire in his wake.

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><p>"—And I had fire food, and even though I spat in the bowl they thought it was great, and—" Everyone decided to stay up to see that I had made it home safe and I was in the process of telling them how my evening went. Gunter had made tea for everyone, but Cake and I were the only ones to take a cup.<p>

"That's cool, Ma. It sounds like you had a lot of fun." Sun said apathetically as he held BMO in his hands, probably just distracted by some video game.

"I did! And Flint is really sweet. I'm sure if he took some anger management classes, he'd be a perfect gentleman."

"So he didn't try to make a move?" Gunter asked beside me.

"Well… he did, but I politely rejected."

"Was _**that**_ what that bang on the door was?" Sun asked amused. I blushed slightly and stuck out my tongue which he returned.

"He's not gonna give up, you know. He's a prince and princes rarely don't get what they want. They're spoiled like that." Cake said as she put down her cup of tea and stood in front of the window before letting out a sigh of irritation. "If we're gonna keep getting these fire peeps visiting we might as well stop watering the lawn since they're destroying it anyway."

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><p><em>Poor Fionna! Always stuck in an awkward situation. What's going to happen with Flint? What about Marshall? Where the glob is he?! <strong>Fun fact<strong>: the fire festival is a real thing (and not the WoW one)! Well not the way I described, but according to wikipedia it takes place in Edinburgh and it is meant to bring in the spring season. Favorite it you like it and review no matter what!_

_Thanks to DeathKiss14, ThePandaHat, insane677, Krystyle (btw yup), blueninja10101, GoatLover101, iloverainbowninjas, MUSTACHEwoMAN, PandaBearKay, Azrael Zaphistat Zephyrphym, TheBrideofChuckyIam, chalekkisses, Superblueowl, and the guests who reviewed and/or favorited._


	24. Mount Cragdor

_MMH: Holy shit guys, I am so sorry that I disappeared. I'll just jump right in here. Don't forget to favorite if you like it and review no matter what. Enjoy!_

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><p>It had been two days since my outing with the Flame Prince and I pretty much hadn't moved from my routine of pacing back and forth in the living room. Since that night FP had been sending me a bouquet of charred flowers every other hour, leaving me with dozens of piles of ash that wound up in my trashcan. Our front yard was now nothing but a field of burnt grass. Cake sat on the couch, shifting her attention every now and then between me and her book. Gunter and Sun were in the kitchen eating breakfast but I hadn't even thought of eating.<p>

I had to be really careful when it came to dealing with Flint. He clearly had a crush on me and I had to let him down as easily as possible. I needed someone to talk to, someone to confide in, someone I hadn't seen in a while.

"I think I'm gonna head over to Marshall's." I decided out loud. My sister looked up from her book once more at my proclamation.

"You go girl! Be preemptive!" Cake said as she smiled at me. Though I had finally made a decision I had not stopped pacing. I couldn't find the courage to go to him yet.

"I know he said he was going to come over when he got back from wherever it was he was going, but it's been too long. Besides I should probably tell him about the Flame Prince and stuff."

"Just be careful. You were probably right when you said he's gonna tear up the tree house when he finds out." I stopped my pacing and smiled at her. Her bitter attitude had thankfully been alleviated and was now back in supportive-sister mode.

"Would you give me a push out the door?" I said and looked at her sheepishly. Cake rolled her eyes and smiled. It's not like I was worried or anything. _Yeah right._

"Sure thing." She chuckled and picked up my backpack at her side before standing to help me out the door.

I knocked on the front door of Marshall's house and waited for some sort of response. I frowned when there wasn't one. I knocked again and was met with the same result. I bit my lip and went over to a window to peek in. There was nothing but darkness and I couldn't catch any form of movement. Keeping my frown firmly in place, I backed up and headed back to the entrance of the cave. It was possible that he simply hadn't come back yet. _But wasn't that over a week ago? He said he'd be back that night._ Should I have been concerned? Something in my gut told me yes, but I squelched the feeling out before it could fester any longer. _Perhaps I should go see PG. I haven't seen him in a while either._ I stood there for a minute hoping that Marshall would by some miracle be inside and open the door for me, but I should have known better. Eventually I headed off towards the Candy Kingdom.

"I'm glad you're here! I missed you." Gumball said as I walked into his room. He wrapped me in his arms for a hug. I threw my arms around him and felt his caring presence seep into me.

"I missed you too, PG." I sighed and took in his scent of sugar and molasses. I hadn't realized how much I missed my best guy-friend. He was like my big brother. He was smart, he was helpful, he was kind, but most importantly he gave great hugs.

"I have some marvelous news for you." He said happily as he pulled away from our hug.

"Oh really?" I joked as I watched him meander over to his desk which I had almost missed due to the fact that it was hidden under piles of papers and thick books.

"Yes, really. There is rumor of an ancient tome called the Enchiridion hiding about in Mount Cragdor that's only meant for true heroes."

"Sounds legit." I raised my eyebrows in interest. A book for true heroes? I had to get ahold of that.

"I'm sure there's a map leading you to the mountain around here somewhere." PG said and turned over to his desk. He shuffled through the important-looking papers and even tossed some onto the ground apathetically. "By the way, how is Marshall doing?" He asked still focused on his search.

"He's been gone for a couple days, but I assume fine." I shrugged trying not to seem fazed.

"Gone? Where to?" He turned and asked with a scroll in hand. PG looked at the scroll briefly before tossing it lazily to the floor. He quirked his brow concernedly and I found myself at a loss for words.

"I dunno." I mumbled and my eyes fell to the floor. I couldn't stop thinking about him being gone longer than he said he would. Was he okay? Did he get hurt? Was he simply not going to come back? It was very exasperating not knowing what was going on. Gumball, seeing my frustration, walked over to me and grabbed my arms gently to get my attention.

"I'm sure he's fine. He's fallen hard for you so I'm positive that he'll do everything he can to return safe and sound." He said as he smiled comfortingly. I smiled in return, but something he had said sparked a thought. _Speaking of falling hard…_

"What can you tell me about all the princes that were kidnapped by the Ice Queen?" I questioned. My meet-up with the Flame Prince had gotten me thinking about all the other princes of Ooo. I knew almost none of them despite the fact that there were hundreds of them.

"What do you want to know?" PG asked. I could tell he was thrown off and slightly concerned by my subject change, but decided to amuse me.

"I just want to know how they're doing. I know so little Ooo royalty so I thought that I should probably start connecting with the ones that I do know." I said and shrugged my shoulders. PG scrunched his eyebrows and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I know that the Breakfast King wanted to meet up with you so you could probably stop by his kingdom today if you'd like."

"A'ight. I'll go talk to him after I check out that Enchiridion with Cake." I determined. The last time I had seen the Breakfast King was at the meeting of Ooo royalty. If I remembered correctly, he seemed sort of like a tool.

"Oh right!" He turned back to his desk and after a couple seconds of searching, he pulled out a raggedy piece of paper. "Here's the map, but be careful when you get there. Mount Cragdor plays tricks on you so you shouldn't trust anything that goes on."

"Right thanks, PG. I'll see you later okay?"

"Not too much later. I missed you so much, Fi." PG sighed and looked at me concernedly. I tried to hide a frown as I realized how horrible I felt. I really _**hadn't**_ seen in him in a while.

"I missed you too. I promise I'll come back soon." I said and gave him a friendly hug. "Bye." After I finished my meet up with PG I ran back to the tree house to convince Cake to help me get the Enchiridion, but I was not expecting her answer.

"I should probably sit this one out, Fi." She said as she took a sip of her coffee in her comfy lounge chair. I leaned against the arm of the chair with a pout.

"Whaaaat?" I whined. "But who's gonna go on the adventure with me?" I continued as I slid into her lap, nearly knocking the mug out of her paws. My sister looked at me boredly and shrugged her shoulders.

"How about Sun? You haven't spent much quality time with him in a while." She suggested. My head shot up and I looked over to the kitchen. _Our first adventure together!_ Sun and Gunter were playing a board game that they found in the broom closet at the kitchen table. I swung my legs over the chair and tiptoed over to where they were. I peeked my head past the doorway and smiley innocently.

"Heeeeey buddy. Wanna go with me to get the Enchiridion? It's a book for heroes." I suggested cutely. Sun shot an icy stare at me and refused to say anything so I looked to Gunter. "Gunter, make sure to take care of Cake while we're gone, okay?" I asked and he nodded. In a second attempt I turned back to Sun to convince him to go. "It's gonna be really fun."

"You're hurting Marshall." Sun said suddenly. The entire house went quiet. Even Cake, who I'm sure had heard him, stopped sipping her coffee. My eyes grew wide at his accusation and Gunter looked back and forth between me and the giant.

"Well since you're quitting I win. Time to go upstairs." He said quickly and waddled at top speed out of the room. I turned my attention back to Sun who was still staring at me unhappily.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I took a seat next to him. He peered at me grumpily as he watched me get close but didn't move away from me.

"Marshall's gonna come back. He's gonna see you replaced him." He grumbled. My face softened and I placed a hand on his lovingly.

"No I haven't replaced him. Flint and I are just friends."

"He doesn't think that."

"It doesn't matter what Flint thinks. I don't feel that way about him." I defended. Sun swatted my hand away and stood up.

"Whatever. Let's just go get this stupid book."

The way to Mount Cragdor was long, but it was even longer since Sun was hardly speaking to me. We had managed to wander into the forest leading up to the mountain and I shifted my bag on my back uncomfortably. While we walked he did everything he could to not look at me. What did I do? It's not like I had led the Flame Prince on or anything, right? I took out the map that I had placed into my backpack and looked at it.

"The entrance looks to be right behind that boulder." I said. Sun grunting was my only response and I sighed in defeat as I put the map away. We passed the boulder to see a path that opened up to reveal a grand stone wall adorned with a large wooden door. A small moat surrounded the wall and a bridge led to the entrance. Sun and I walked over the bridge and saw a small man huddled in front of the two doors. He looked like he was taking a nap.

"Uh, hello?" I asked as I knelt over and gently shook his shoulder. The old man wearing a large key for a hat bolted awake and leapt up to greet us. His dingy blue cloak stretched out past his legs and arms, leaving a pool of fabric at his feet.

"Hellooooo there! I am the Key-per!"

"Ha! I get it." Sun cried amusedly. I laughed at his innocence and he quickly returned to his sour state. It made me sad that he was so upset with me. What was I supposed to do? I turned my attention back to the small, old man.

"We would like to pass please, Mr. Key-per, sir." I requested.

"First you must answer one of my riddles!" he said excitedly and waved his arms about. Sun and I looked at each other hesitantly before looking back to the kooky man.

"Okay."

"What's black when you get it, red when you use it, and white when you're all through with it?" The Key-per's riddle certainly was a tough one. Off the top of my head I couldn't come up with even a proper suggestion.

"Uh, is it some sort of candy?" I asked.

"No."

"Is it an actual item?" Sun suggested.

"Yes."

"Is it a kind of flower?" I asked.

"No. This isn't 'twenty-questions'!" The Key-per said. He was beginning to get a little irritated that we weren't playing his game right. I let out a huff of frustration and pursed my lips in thought. Twenty minutes later Sun and I were still stuck outside the gate. I was leaned against the stone wall and Sun was sitting in the middle of the pathway drawing in the dirt with his finger. Neither of us could figure the stupid riddle!

For one reason or another, my thoughts drifted off to FP. He was probably off to my house to deliver another bouquet of flowers. I imagined his red gloves firmly grasping the burning stems and I smiled. The thought of his fiery hair hypnotized me and I began to think of the destructive power he had within himself. Wherever he went his footsteps caught the grass on fire and eventually became white ash. _Fire… white ash…_

"Charcoal!" I said suddenly.

"What?" Sun questioned and turned to me, confused by my sudden outburst.

"That's the answer, right?" I asked as I pushed off the wall and headed towards the Key-per. "It's charcoal." The old man looked at me and smiled.

"You may pass." He jumped up and placed his key in the heavy doors. They creaked open lazily and Sun and I headed passed them.

"I can't believe I didn't get that one." Sun mumbled.

"Don't worry. It took me forever to figure out." Sun looked and smiled sadly at me before continuing forward. Marshall had been teaching him all sorts of riddles before he disappeared. _At least Sun's smiling at me again_. "We should be careful here. PG says a lot of stuff here isn't what it appears to be." Sun and I continued along the path as the trees around the path grew thicker and the light grew dim. Like a snake, a deep shroud of fog crept around the two of us and I halted instantly only have Sun ram right into me. The next thing I knew my face was rubbing up against the cold hard ground.

"Sorry Mom!" he cried out.

"It's fine bud." Carefully I stood back up and stretched out my back. The unexpected blanket of fog made it impossible to see anything. I waved my hand in front of my face and only saw a faint outline. "Man, I can't see a foot in front of me." I wasn't expecting an answer from Sun, but I was expecting at least something. "Sun?" I called out. I was met with nothing. "Sun, where are you?!"

In a panic I began to search blindly for my friend. My arms were stretched out, waving around crazily hoping to touch his warm and familiar skin. I did manage to touch familiar skin, but it wasn't warm. It was freezing.

"Hello, love." Her shrill voice sent chills up my spine.

"Ice Queen!" I was startled backwards, but managed to catch myself before I fell. Hesitantly I pulled out the sword from my backpack and started forward to see a weak silhouette of my former rival.

"Who else were you expecting?"

"You're not real. You're dead."

"Are you sure?" She titled her head slightly causing the outline of her long hair to sway back and forth. Hypnotized by the movement I briefly forgot that she had asked me a question.

"Yes." My voice cracked.

"You don't sound sure."

"Gumball says this places messes with peoples' minds so I shouldn't take anything at face-value." I reasoned, more to myself than to her. I heard her let out a small frustrated sigh.

"You always listen to what Gumball says. Like a little lost puppy." She hissed and the area where I assumed her hands were burned a light blue.

"Not always."

"What are you doing with the Flame Prince?"

"Why? You jealous?" I smirked. Without warning, the blue light formed spikes and shot towards me. I swung at them with my sword and they shattered into pieces.

"Don't play with fire, Fionna." Her voice whispered in my ear. I whirled around and dragged my sword around crazily through the mist. "You barely survived my attack before. What makes you think you can thrive on the other end of the spectrum?"

"I think I'll manage."

"What about Marshall? Replaced him with that hot head?"

"We're just friends."

"Are you sure?" her voice sighed behind me.

"Yes!" I cried out. I turned around once more to see that the fog had completely dissipated. The Ice Queen, or the illusion that took her form, was gone. Replacing her was Sun who ran towards me with a look of relief on his face.

"Mom! I thought I'd never find you in the fog. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Are you?" I looked over him carefully for any bruises or cuts he might have sustained while we were briefly apart.

"Mom I'm fine." He whined and I pulled away awkwardly. "I promise." He continued, but this time with a more gentle tone.

"Sorry." I was embarrassed by my doting. I always had a habit of spoiling him, but Sun was a fucking giant. Surely he could care for himself.

"I think I saw a light not too far from here. Should we check it out?"

"Definitely. Let's go."

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><p><em>Thank you to all who have reviewed and favorited (SpringBorn, NeonTalisman, missmeadow, Aripeace, Narshak89, , kaito kitsune, ilovelucyfan, TrinaXXDreamXXChaser, and smileywithshades)! <em>Don't forget to favorite and review!<em>_

_For those who care why it took me a month it was a combination of several things. Finals were brutal, but I did well in all my classes so I guess that's all that matters. Also (without going too much in detail) the company I work for was sold to a bigger company and my position was no longer needed. My mother works/worked at the same place. So I spent two weeks getting all the hours I could before I was let go. Also the holiday season sucks. _


	25. The Enchiridion!

_MMH: What's this? Can it be that I'm returning to my old schedule? IMPOSSIBLE! This chapter was going to be longer, but I decided to break it up. That means a new chapter next week! Woot woot. I also got a tumblr. Well, I've had a tumblr, but I've just gotten around to seriously getting into it. Also ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!_

_Marshall: *bursts in* What the fuck, woman?!_

_MMH: Oh, it's you again._

_Marshall: Where the hell am I?_

_MMH: *looks confused* You're here._

_Marshall: NO. In the story! I've been missing for, like, a billion chapters!_

_MMH: You've been missing for three, ya big baby. And you're in this one._

_Marshall: I am?!_

_MMH: Don't forget to favorite if you like it and review no matter what!_

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><p>I followed Sun to where he said he saw the light and we parted the bushes to reveal an open field with the sun shining down. I felt myself grin and let out a sigh of relief.<p>

"Thank glob, light!" I cheered and raced out of the forest with Sun followed close behind. After a brief celebration of being out of that scary forest I pulled the map from my backpack and briefly looked around at my surroundings. "Let's see, we just left that forest here so that means we're here. It seems that the best path to the mountain is over there." I pointed not really paying attention and Sun looked where my finger was pointed.

"What's that?" he asked. My head jerked towards where I was pointing to see a horde of tiny goblins surrounding a couple of elderly men not too far away. The goblins were holding spears and gabbing at the men, but thankfully they never hit them.

"Don't kill those old men!" Sun and I raced towards the goblins whose attention was now turned on us. The old men, one with a blue hat and one with a red, ran towards us and hid behind Sun's huge frame. Since the goblins were tiny Sun and I simply kicked them until they ran away. Well, I kicked, Sun punted. Once the goblins were out of sight we turned to the old men to see that they were glaring at us.

"Get away from us." The one with the red hat spat.

"What? We were just trying to help." Sun said as he tilted his head confused. I was confused too. Hadn't we just saved their wrinkly old asses?

"Well we don't need it!"

"But you hid behind us in fear!"

"It doesn't matter. If we don't die now we'll die later when you aren't here." The one in the blue hat sighed. With a snap of their fingers they disappeared into smoke and drifted away.

"What jerks." I muttered and put my hands on my hips as I watched the smoke dissipate.

"Why didn't they do that while they were being attacked?" Sun asked.

"I dunno. Let's go." We eventually found the path up the mountain and began our ascent without another word. The soft green grass surely tickled Sun's giant feet as he walked along beside me. The temperature dropped slightly as we climbed up the mountain, but not nearly as much as it had when the fog surprised us. Two bluebirds flew above us and chittered happily along their way back to their nest.

Despite that it was quiet between us, I smiled at the thought that Sun had calmed down and seemingly had forgotten why he was mad at me. I didn't want to risk him getting angry again, but I had to apologize for my behavior when Marshall left. He was probably just as lonely as I was and I moped around in bed ignoring him. He probably felt forgotten.

"I'm sorry I haven't spent so much time with you lately." I mumbled and for a moment I was convinced that he hadn't heard me. Sun focused on the grass beneath his feet as he continued to walk and he sighed heavily.

"It's fine. I know that you're upset Dad's missing because I'm upset too. I know that that Flame Prince makes you feel special, but he'll come back. I just know it." _I wish I had your certainty._ I shook my head of that thought. I had no reason to be thinking the way I was. Marshall said he'd be back, he just wasn't yet. He had no reason to leave permanently. Why was I being such an idiot?

We reached the top to see a large entrance along the side of the mountain. _Another cave. Whoohoo._ At least this time is wasn't nearly as dark. We could quite easily see a large, grey castle looming about inside. Sun and I stepped toward the castle to see a blue lump slumped in front of the castle entrance. A blue lump we had certainly seen before.

"Key-per?" I asked. The old man jumped out of his slumber and looked to me with a sleepy grin. "How the glob did you get here before us?"

"Secret passage." He yawned as he slowly stood and rubbed his back gently.

"You're not gonna ask us another riddle are you?" Sun whined.

"Nope. Just knock on the door." Sun and I looked at each other before shrugging. I rapped my knuckles against the old wooden door and not two seconds later it swung open to reveal a giant muscular figure with dark orange skin and long hooked horns towering over me. I say only "me" because Sun and him were the same height and could look each other in the eye.

"I'm Mannish Man the minotaur!"

"Hello." Sun said politely.

"Sup." I nodded my head awkwardly. Sun certainly had become a gentleman after his etiquette lessons with Marshall._ If… when Marshall gets back, I need him to teach me some manners._

"Congratulations, you two have made it to Mount Cragdor!" he announced as if it was a big accomplishment. How many people had tried to get this before me? Was it really a big deal or something? I knew it was a sort of guidebook for heroes, but was I literally the only one who could find it?

"Is the Enchiridion here?" I asked.

"Of course!" he said as if he had forgotten something. The door slammed shut and a moment later the minotaur returned with a worn brown book in his thick, calloused hands. On the cover jewels circled around a bird, grapes, a sword, and a skull and two shields were below it. Mannish Man stooped down and held it out for me to take. I hesitantly reached out to it and slowly wrapped my fingers around the sides of the book.

"That's it?" I questioned. The minotaur nodded and shrugged his shoulders. _That was rather anticlimactic._ I turned to Sun with a giant grin and held it out for him to see. He looked down at me nervously.

"I don't need to see it. It's yours." He looked to the ground shyly and picked at his nails.

"No way, bud. It's ours. We both came here so we can share it." Sun smiled and I carefully put the old book into my backpack.

"I'll show you the secret passage. It's way easier than climbing back down that mountain." Mannish Man offered. Sun and I gladly accepted and the three of us along with the Key-per continued further into the cave to reveal a narrow, winding path. We continued along the way and something in my mind kept distracting me from being happy. Despite that I had accomplished my mission as well as got Sun not mad at me I couldn't shake it. I picked up the pace to catch up with Mannish Man and walked beside him.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked uncertainly.

"Sure."

"What was in the fog wasn't real, right?"

"The fog in the forest shows what clouds your mind. They are what you need to conquer in order to continue being a good hero. They are only illusions, nothing more." He smiled.

"Good to know." I thought of all the things relating to what happened in the fog. _Me being guilty over the Ice Queen, Flame Prince trying to date me, and Marshall being MIA; that sounds about right. _"Were those old men illusions too?"

"No, but they were part of your test too. Sometimes heroes like us don't get gratitude after helping, but we have to continue helping anyway." He continued and I sighed as I thought back to the princes. _Trust me; I've had a lot of experience with that._ Mannish Man was right though. Just because I didn't receive gratitude didn't necessarily mean I should hold a grudge about it.

"Want to know what my riddle meant for the test?" the small old man piped up excitedly behind me.

"I thought it was just supposed to show cleverness." I said and turned back to look at him. The Key-per's face fell slightly.

"Yeah…" The four of us continued deeper into the cave and finally saw the light of an exit. I stepped ahead of the minotaur excitedly and exited the cave to see that the secret passage led out to about a hundred yards away from where the entrance gate was. _The passage was that close?!_

I felt Mannish Man's presence come up from behind me, but I didn't think anything of it. That is, I didn't until I heard someone shout my name.

"Lady Fionna!" I turned towards the familiar voice just in time to see a ball of fire speeding towards Mannish Man. Without thinking I stepped in front of the ball to protect him and while it would have hit Mannish Man at roughly his torso it hit me square in the jaw. The force catapulted me backwards and I slid back past the entrance of the gate onto my back. The next thing I knew the Key-per, Mannish Man, Sun, and Flame Prince's faces peered down at me as I looked up at the bright blue sky. _FP's here? __Are you fucking kidding me? _"Oh my glob, I'm so sorry! It's just a saw that creature walking behind you and I thought he might be an enemy due to his size and appearance so I didn't really think things through…" Flint mumbled as he looked from me to the giant minotaur beside him.

"Are you hurt?" Mannish Man asked as he leaned over me and stuck out a gracious hand. I took it and the veins decorating his arm popped out slightly as he pulled me up to my feet.

"I'm fine. It's not that bad." I said and gently put the palm of my hand against the side of my face. It stung slightly and heat radiated off of it in waves. "What are you doing here, Flint?" I tried to hide my irritation, but I don't think it was covered well.

"I stopped by your house and Cake said you were here. Your cheek is all red. Glob, I feel horrible." he continued and ran a hand through his hair. The orange flames flitted around his glove before returning to their original place. Despite the fact that it really was his fault I felt slightly guilty.

"It's just a slight burn. Nothing serious, I promise."

"Do you need me to walk you home?" Sun asked as he looked over my cheek carefully.

"No I'm good. I need to head over to the Breakfast Kingdom to meet up with the king."

"Out of the question. We need to get that burn treated before it blisters and festers." Flint popped by my side and folded his arms decidedly. Mannish Man, Sun, the Key-per, and I turned to him and I felt my brow twitch in irritation.

"Excuse me?" I hissed. His look of surprise clearly showed he was not used to people getting angry at him.

"I feel horrible that I hurt you so humor me?" he asked more respectfully.

"No way! I promised PG and I need to check up on the Breakfast Prince anyway." Flame Prince was starting to get on my nerves, but I still had to be careful.

"Then I insist on escorting you." He suggested. I glanced over to Sun to see him roll his eyes in annoyance. I withheld a giggle and we soon found ourselves going our separate ways. The Key-per and Mannish Man returned back to the castle at Mount Cragdor, Sun decided to head back home to check on Cake, Gunter, and BMO, and Flint and I made our way to the Breakfast Kingdom.

The castle in the Breakfast Kingdom was a combination of edible and inedible building materials. How the coffeecake first floor held up the stone second floor was a complete mystery. The surrounding area always smelt of syrup due to the fact that the stone tower in the shape of a tea-pot constantly spewed it out. Flint and I crossed the bacon bridges covering the syrup moat and knocked on the metal door. A maid with egg-yolk skin graciously let us in and showed us to the parlor to wait.

The room wasn't too formal, but it was certainly nicely decorated. Pictures of the previous as well as present Breakfast Royalty adorned the blue walls and the pink carpet looked fuzzy and so comfortable. FP and I waited in silence until we heard loud footsteps thumping down the hall towards us. I stood up just in time for the king of the Breakfast Kingdom to swing the door open and stare at me icily. I tried my best to be as kind as possible regardless of his evil glare.

"Hello Your Highness. How is your—"

"You!" he cried. "I'll have you know that my son has had a terrible fungal infection ever since he returned from your care. How dare you think you can take your time finding him and then not check up on him afterwards!" He bellowed and his egg-white beard flopped crazily against his yellow skin. My eyes widened and I jumped slightly at his loud voice.

"Listen sir, I'm terribly sorry I couldn't find them sooner, but—"

"Damn right you're sorry!" the Breakfast King shouted at me, literally blowing my hair back. I had not noticed until then, but Flint was growing progressively angrier. Without warning he exploded into flames, causing the king to fall backwards. He grew as he stepped towards the older man and stared down at him heatedly.

"You scum of the earth!" FP hissed. "This woman saved your son and you dare to insult her! You will not speak to Lady Fionna like that ever again, am I clear? Or will I have to burn you to a little bacon crisp for you to get my point?!" The Breakfast King continued to cower in fear on the floor as Flint eventually calmed down enough to return to his normal state.

"I think you two should leave." The king gulped as soon as he found the power to speak again. Not wanting to cause much more trouble I quickly bowed to the king before practically running to the door with my friend at my heels.

"Thanks Flint."

FP decided to escort me back home from the Breakfast Kingdom even though I insisted I was fine by myself. The sun had just set when we reached the hill overlooking the tree house and I sighed in relief. The walk hadn't been awkward at all.

"I like you a lot Lady Fionna." Flint said suddenly._ Spoke too soon._

"Flint, I think we should talk about some stuff." I should have stopped it before it had gotten to this point, but I was worried of the consequences. It didn't matter now; I had to set things straight.

"Like what Lady Fionna?"

"I'm flattered that you treat me the way you do, but I think you should just treat me as a friend." He stared at me confused and I felt guilty for what I was about to say. How was he going to react? "I'm in love with someone else. I love that you're so sweet and charming, but I can't possibly return your affections when I can't give you my heart. Someone else has it and he probably will until I die." Thankfully FP hadn't exploded with rage. Instead his flames shrunk and a heartbreaking frown formed on his face. "I'm sorry."

"I'm just glad I didn't have to say it." I turned to the voice and I couldn't help but smile. My heart welled up and all attention that had been focused on Flint was long forgotten.

"Marshall."

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><p><em>Marshall: You're so mean.<em>

_MMH: No I'm not. I said you were in the chapter and you were. Thanks to all those who favorited and reviewed (rainbowmainia, Adventure time girl 123, Tallen, 73245, Sabrina, TheBrideofChuckyIam, a guest, readertheatre, NeonTalisman, Wolf Huntress Silver Blood, Les Reves Doux, somethingunicorn, insane677, Alice Yagami, ThePandaHat, purpledragon6, Zephyrphym, loveable-me-03, Solarscarlettpulse, Emily Olga, and JeremyPunk)._

_**Specifically a huge thank you** to rainbowmainia and Wolf Huntress Silver Blood who reviewed multiple chapters in a row (d'awwwww thanks).** Also** a huge thank you to Tallen who gave me such a lovely in-depth review. Though not all of it was positive (which I do not mind at all) I felt myself getting really happy that someone took so much time writing a well-thought review for my story. This is the first fan fiction I've ever written and quite honestly I had not expected that I would get this far so I understand all the points he brings up. P.S. No need to be sorry!_

_Don't forget to favorite and review!_


	26. The Return of Marshall Lee

_MMH: Damn, guys. I guess I shouldn't ever "be ahead" ever again, huh? I'm so sorry this is later than I said it would be. I've had really bad headaches for the past two months and I went to the doctor about it. He gave me anti-seizure medicine and steroids and said "It's either migraines or something worse. We'll set up an MRI appointment soon to make sure it's not 'something worse'." So on top of having splitting migraines the side effects of the medicine freaking suck. I'm having trouble focusing, I'm having trouble remembering, general confusion, and my emotions are going out of control. My bad. Anyway... ENJOY. Don't forget to favorite if you like it and review no matter what!_

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><p>I flung my arms around Marshall's waist and held on tightly. He was slightly thinner than I remembered. One of his hands found its way to my neck, which he rubbed thoughtfully with his thumb, and the other rested on my back. I never wanted to let go again.<p>

"I missed you so much." I sighed into him. He chuckled and my head bumped against him as his chest shook slightly.

"I told you I'd be back."

"I know, you were just gone for a long time so I thought…" I trailed off embarrassed by my assumption. It was so easy for my feelings to run wild. His grip around me tightened and he sighed.

"It doesn't matter. I'm back now right?" He said. I grinned knowing that I finally had my boyfriend back. This was the happiest I had been since he was gone, but our moment was broken by the prince that I had completely forgotten was there.

"Marshall Lee the Vampire King. If I could I would shake your hand in thanks." FP's voice shook us out of our moment and both of us parted as we looked to him somewhat irritated. Flint wore a broad smile and his hands were clasped together excitedly; if I hadn't known any better I could have sworn he was fan-girling.

"Who the fuck are you?" Marshall snapped. Flame Prince looked taken aback and I felt sort of bad as the realization hit me. The last time Marshall saw the Flame Prince was when his flame was dimmed almost to the point of going out. He probably didn't recognize him. I turned back to my boyfriend and tried to explain.

"This is the Flame Prince. He was one of the princes we—"

"Geez Fi, what happened?" Marshall cut me off as he finally caught a look at the burn on my cheek. His cool hand touched my face alleviating the dull pain of the burn and I gasped. I had completely forgotten that it was there.

"It was just an accident." I said without thinking. _Well that sounded awfully guilty._But it was the truth! Marshall's eyes narrowed as he frowned.

"Did he hurt you?" He pulled me back from FP and instinctively wrapped an arm around my waist. Despite that it was distracting me from the situation at hand, the contact felt nice.

"It was not my intent. There was a creature behind her and I thought she was in danger." FP answered truthfully. Instead of getting angry with my boyfriend it seemed like Flint was trying to pacify the situation. However Marshall was not content with that answer.

"She can take care of herself." He hissed. I was about to jump into the conversation when Flint decided to speak. In all honesty I was thankful because I had no idea what I would have said.

"I think I should head home and let you two reconnect. Can we hang out soon to sort… _**this**_ out?" FP asked as he bowed his head slightly. I was tempted to say that there was no "this" but instead nodded my head.

"Of course. I'll see you later." It was painfully quiet as Marshall and I watch Flint go and it was only when his little flicker of light disappeared beyond the horizon that my boyfriend decided to say something.

"Why are you hanging out with that hothead?" I wanted to mention that Gumball had said something similar about him when we had first met, but decided against it.

"His name is Flint. What was I supposed to do? Do nothing while you were gone?" I asked as I turned to him quickly. A hint of hurt flashed in his eyes, but it disappeared only to be replaced with slight embarrassment.

"Well no, but…"

"You disappeared without telling anyone anything. And then you were gone longer than you said you would be. For all I knew you were never coming back." I said and folded my arms grumpily. What I had said was a tad dramatic, but it was how I felt.

"Of course I'd come back! I would never leave you." He smiled softly as he grabbed onto my arms comfortingly.

"Then why didn't you tell me where you were going?"

"You didn't care, remember?" _Well, that definitely came back to bite me in the butt._ "Besides, I knew if I did say something you'd want to come along and I didn't want you to get hurt. It's dangerous in the Nightosphere." I was about to object but then thought of the last time I thought I could handle a situation. I died. _Touché._

"Didn't you just tell FP that I can take care of myself?" I grinned. Marshall's arms fell back to his sides and he smirked at the ground. I was relieved that he wasn't upset by my comeback. Then again, the only person to do that was Cake and that only started recently._ Oh, that's right.__ Freaking Cake started this all in the first place anyway. _"If it makes you feel any better, Cake pushed me to go on an outing with him and we got along well. We're just friends."

"Does he know that?" Marshall asked quietly and I bit my lip.

"…Yes."

"You hesitated."_ Shit. I did, didn't I?_

"He might have tiny, little, microscopic crush on me." I confessed. Marshall growled, but I don't know if it was because me or Flint.

"You want to string him along?!" His harsh words stung at my heart. _How rude._

"I'm not saying that! I'm just saying that we should keep the PDA to a minimum until Flint gets over his feelings for me."

"You're trying to seem available!" He yelled and I flinched. That was the last straw. I had ignored what others had said about him not coming back as well as Flint's numerous advances. Marshall's accusation felt like my waiting for him to come back almost wasn't worth it.

"I am not!" I yelled back, clearly offended. "He is the prince of the _**FIRE**_ kingdom and _**FIRE**_ people tend to catch things on _**FIRE**_ when they're upset. I don't know about you, but I sure would hate it if all of Ooo burned to the ground because you couldn't keep your displays of affection to yourself." Marshall's anger had substantially cooled by the time I had finished yelling and I suddenly felt rather foolish for being so emotional. "Besides you heard me reject him."

"Yeah, whatever." Marshall rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. _Don't "whatever" me!_

"So you went to the Nightosphere?" I asked quietly, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah. Ashleigh's been causing all sorts of hell there and she was in the process of taking control." He hissed. I gasped as I thought about Marshall's mom. Was she safe?

"Is it all better? Is your mom okay?" I asked quickly. He smiled and nodded his head.

"Yeah she's fine. Everything's good now for the most part. Ashleigh took a portal back to Ooo before I could catch her and Mom told me to make sure she doesn't try to take over the Nightosphere again." Marshall was about to say something else, but closed his mouth after a couple moments of saying nothing.

"We need to find her." I said determinedly._ Well, duh._

"That's the game plan. I was gonna head over to the Candy Kingdom to ask PG to set out an alert after I met up with you."

"Let's go together. I want to tell him I got the Enchiridion." Marshall smiled as he laced his fingers with mine. We began our walk to the Candy Kingdom when he stopped suddenly.

"Wait. The Enchi-what-now?"

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><p>"Marshall Lee! Fionna! What a lovely surprise." PG poked his head out from over the oven door with a tray in hand and smiled when he saw the two of us standing in the kitchen doorway. "I've just finished baking some cookies. Want some?"<p>

"Not right now, Pinky. I need you to set out an alert for a woman who has escaped from the Nightosphere." Marshall said somewhat exasperatedly. I had been used to Gumball's baking antics and motioned for him to come over.

"Sounds serious." My friend said as I swiped a hot cookie right from the tray. It burnt my hands slightly but I didn't really mind. _It's no worse than the burn on my face._

"It is." I replied with my mouth now full of sweets.

"I'll get on that right now." Gumball placed the tray on the counter and began to turn to leave but stopped when he caught a glimpse of my cheek. Stepping closer he grabbed my cheek and his eyes grew wide. "Fionna what happened to your face?" My eyes grew wide as well and I quickly swallowed what was in my mouth in order to explain.

"Oh it's nothing really I just—"

"She's hanging out with the Flame Prince." My vampire boyfriend interjected beside me. _Damnit Marshall. Are you honestly snitching on me to Gumball?_

"Fionna the Human!" PG scolded as he let go of me and folded his arms. He used my full title and he sounded like a parent yelling at a child. I pouted and instinctively ducked my head down in embarrassment. "What is it with you and dangerous men? First it was a person who could have sucked you dry and now it's a person who could fry you alive?!" Marshall glared at PG at that comment, but kept his mouth shut since they were on the same side for once.

"You guys are overreacting. It's not like he meant to hurt me. Besides, it's not that bad and it'll go away in a few days. It's just like a sunburn."

"You're missing the point! Him burning you should be the least of your worries. The Flame Prince is highly unstable and any sort of drastic change in his emotions could cause cataclysmic events." The more Gumball spoke, the more reasonable not hanging out with Flint sounded. _But Flint is nice! Why can't we give him a chance?_

"If he's on our side we shouldn't have to worry." I defended. It was true that Flint could be dangerous, but he was my friend and I couldn't stand for anyone judging him before they knew him. Marshall turned to me and frowned at my optimism.

"The people of the Fire Kingdom are on nobody's side except for their own. You need to be more careful." He shrugged as he dug his hands deep into his pockets. I furrowed my eyebrows confused. Did he know something I didn't? I bit the inside of my cheek and turned back to Gumball.

"Let's get back to the dangerous woman lurking around Ooo, shall we?"

"Right. I'll go tell the guards to organize search parties around Ooo as well as inform the other kingdoms. You," PG said as he pointed a pink, gummy finger at me, "stop making such stupid decisions when it comes to boys." After that he quickly turned on his heels and left Marshall and I in the kitchen.

"I'm right here!" Marshall called out to him and I giggled.

"I can't believe you tattled on me!" I smirked as I gently shoved my shoulder into Marshall's bicep and he smiled.

"Sorry."

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><p><em> Marshall ran throughout the halls of the castle in search of Ashleigh. He had arrived in the Nightosphere just in time to see her bring up a sword in the air to chop off his mother's head. Thankfully he tackled her to the ground before she could finish the act, but Ashleigh had used her magic to disappear. He knew she had to be somewhere in the castle; her magic could never transport her very far.<em>

_ Ashleigh's words haunted him when he found her. She had managed to open up a portal to Ooo and he watched her helplessly as she stood before it. _

"_I'm gonna break your little girlfriend's neck and then I'm gonna rip your mom to pieces and then, then I'm gonna you. There will be no one to stop me once you're gone and then I'll become the Vampire Queen."_

_ "I'll fucking kill you if you try touch a hair on Fi's or my mom's head again."_

_ "I can't wait to see you try."_

Marshall jolted awake from his dream in a sweat. He looked to the girl at his side and frowned. Fionna's lips were parted slightly as she slept on the side of her face that wasn't burnt. He felt guilty. Not just for leaving her. Fionna had no clue. She had no clue that he wasn't even supposed to have returned. She had no clue that he was supposed to have stayed in the Nightosphere.

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><p><em>Oh lordy! Marshall wasn't supposed to come back? How is Fi going to react? What about Ashleigh? Where is that bitch anyway? Thanks to those who reviewed andor favorited (Zephyrphym, ThePandaHat, insane677, (2) guests, TheBrideofChuckyIam, Haley, Krystyle, Les Reves Doux, jellybelly, Sabrina, sanctionagainst9, rose, , NintenClo, PandaDee, Fiolee123, Jester Seraph, Dobby'sPolkaDottedSocks, Red cloud beast, ReadingIsSexy15, Nen Z, uhlikins, Wassupp13)!__ Don't forget to review and favorite!_

**_Note: _**_If I ever forget to reply to your review (and you're not a guest) I am terribly sorry! I do try to reply to all of them because it means so much to me._

_Question: Should I start uploading my stories to tumblr? Just for fun, of course.  
><em>


	27. The Talk (Tier Fifteen)

**_MMH: I am such a horrible person. I did not mean to take an unexpected haitus, BUT I'M BACK! *chuckles awkwardly*. Anyway... enjoy! Don't forget to favorite and review!_**

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><p>Breakfast that next morning was a combination of unpleasant and enjoyable conversation. Sun was over the moon that Marshall had returned and was talking his ear off about all that had gone on during his absence which Marshall attended to with patient nodding. Gunter poked at his bacon pancakes neutrally as he listened in and put in his two cents worth every now and then. BMO sat on my lap as I was trying to clean his screen. Last night Sun was playing with him after eating ice cream without washing his hands, leaving BMO's screen and controllers very sticky. However, Cake was less forgiving of my undead boyfriend as she glared at him from across the table. The second Sun stopped speaking to breathe she spoke up.<p>

"So, Marshall why were you gone longer than you said you'd be?" my sister snapped.

"Why haven't you told Fionna about your surprise?" Marshall replied just as quickly with his cool voice, knocking the vicious glare right of my sister's face. I was pulled from my concentration on BMO and looked up to see the two of them staring icily at each other. Marshall had a triumphant smirk seeing the reaction he had gotten from my sister. A painful quiet fell upon the breakfast table. I had only barely heard what Cake had said, but I definitely heard what Marshall said.

"What surprise?" I asked curiously. Cake looked at me with her left eye twitching slightly with irritation and placed her fork down on her empty plate.

"It's nothing, sweet pea. Sun told me you found the Enchiridion?" Her lips contorted into a tight, fake smile. My focus kept switching from Cake and Marshall Lee as I gently put BMO back onto the table and slung my backpack from my shoulders.

"Yeaaah." I drawled out suspiciously and pulled the giant book from my bag. I grasped the leather cover and tossed it onto the table with a thunk. The jewels reflected little rays of light and I carefully opened it up to the book's contents. It seemed that this book has a guide to do just about everything that a hero would need to do.

"How to slay a dragon, how to beat the Farm, how to make a royal soufflé; geez, this thing has it all." Cake mused as she scooted closer to me. I grinned as I skimmed down the list. As long as I had this book I probably wouldn't have to worry about anything ever again. _Except for Ashleigh, that is._

As if on cue, there was a knock at the front door. Standing up, I tossed the book back into my backpack and made my way to the entrance. I opened it to reveal Gumball looking back at me with a determined and proud look on his face.

"I've got my men searching for Ashleigh, but I think we should help out too." He stated authoritatively. This one of the few times I realized that my friend was in fact a ruler of a kingdom. The way he spoke demanded cooperation and I found myself nodding in agreement as I opened the door wider for him to see everyone else inside.

"We should check every dark crevice in Ooo." I said and he nodded.

"The beach has that cave. She might be in there." Cake spoke up as she stood from the table and made her way over to us. I shuddered mentally. _I don't want to go in there again._

"It's a good place to start." PG decided. _Crap._ It was pitch-black in there when I was a vampire. How was I supposed to see when I was a human? An idea popped into my head and while I was hesitant to put it into action, I was more hesitant to go into the cave completely blind. _I need to speak with Flint sooner or later._

"We could ask Flint to go with us too. Seven heads are better than six." I spoke up excitedly. Gumball had a displeased look on his face, but said nothing.

"I think I'll sit this one out." Cake stated as she shuffled back to the kitchen and took her usual place at the table.

"Whaaaat?" I turned to her and whined in disbelief.

"I think Sun and I will stay here too. Cake'll probably want company." Gunter quacked as he the rest of the crew appeared behind me. Sun turned to him grumpily and pouted.

"But I want to go too!" The giant moaned. The old penguin slapped his fin against Sun's thigh and he gasped. "Never mind. I'll stay and keep her company." I turned from a grumpy Sun to Marshall and looked at him hopefully.

"Don't worry, babe. I'll go with ya." He smirked and made his way upstairs to get ready. I turned back to Gumball and then made the same face at him. He looked at me unhappily and as I batted my eyelashes hopefully, I heard him let out a groan in defeat.

"I'll call Flame Prince." PG huffed as he pulled out his mobile phone and turned to head outside. That thing always confused me. I never understood how his phone, or mine for the matter, worked but I never bothered to ask. As Gumball shut the door I heard Cake calling to me.

"Fionna, honey? Could you come here for a second?" I looked to Gunter and Sun confused, but they had made themselves comfortable on the couch and began to play a game on BMO. Neither one of them looked interested enough to even glance in my direction. Shrugging apathetically I made my way to the breakfast table._ I need to get my backpack anyway._ I saw my sister sitting uncomfortably. She smiled awkwardly at me. "Before you go, I think we should talk about something."

"Is everything alright?" I asked and I took a spot next to her at the table. She wrung her paws anxiously and I gasped slightly when a thought struck me. "Is this about the time you almost passed out?" She inhaled in surprise.

"No! Well, kind of. Everything is fine though." She smiled reassuringly as her claws drummed along the wooden table. My sister took a deep breath before continuing. "It's just that you're seventeen now and since Mom and Dad haven't told you about it, I think it's time I told you about… tier fifteen." My face scrunched up in confusion. Wasn't it just a figure of speech used for those couples who were really happy?

"What about it?" I asked curiously.

"Well… when two people are in a relationship they begin to become intimate." I'm sure if Cake were capable of blushing she would have been beet red. She refused to look me in the eye and instead found our frayed and worn rug underneath our feet far more interesting.

"Like hugging and kissing and junk?" I questioned.

"Yes… and uh, oh glob… uh, there are other ways of expressing one's feelings for another." By this time she was practically off of her chair by how much she had slid down it, trying to avoid my gaze.

"Okay…" I urged her on, confused as to where she was going with this conversation.

"Well, hmmm. Have… have you and Marshall slept together?" Cake asked hesitantly as she finally looked up at me. I looked at her confused before nodding my head.

"Sure. Me and Marshall sleep together all the time." My sister's eyes grew wide and bared her teeth as she stood up to head for the door. Clearly I had said something wrong.

"WHAT?! I'M GONNA KILL THAT MOTHER FUCKER!" she screeched. I ran after her and tackled her to the ground before she could make her escape. She continued to struggle so I pinned her arms to her side, careful not to get scratched. Cake's scratches fucking hurt.

"Cake! What's the big deal? You and me slept together when we were little." I yelled and she immediately stopped struggling. Her chest expanded and then she exhaled as she let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh. That's what you meant. Oh okay. Thank you, great Cosmic Owl." She murmured.

"What are you going on about?"

"Okay let's see. Do you know the difference between a male and a female?" She asked as I got off her and we both sat back down. I was instantly tossed back into the memory of when I went to the library when I was nine. My mom and I had gone to check out children's books and I had somehow wandered into the anatomy section. I had pulled out a book and tried to look at all the interesting pictures, but I had only caught a glimpse before my mother found me. She slammed the book shut before sprinting out of the library with me in tow. It was that night that my mother told me about the differences between boys and girls and why we were different.

"Oh my glob, do we have to have this discussion?" I asked quickly with my eyes wide. They were practically popping out of my head. At this moment I was very aware that Marshall could be hearing what we were talking about right now. _Please be out of earshot. Please be out of earshot._

"Yes."

"But why?!" I begged as I hid my cheeks with my hands. Even though one of them was burned, both were red hot.

"Marshall said I wasn't telling you something at breakfast this morning and he was right. You see, Lord Monochromicorn and I are… going to have children." Cake whispered the last part, but I certainly heard it.

"You're preggers?!" I shouted as I straightened back up in my chair and my eyes bugged out at her. She sighed, trying to calm herself, and began to explain.

"After we were attacked by those zombies Mo-chro insisted I get checked up and Gumball found out I was—"

"Preggers."

"With child or pregnant is a more appropriate term, Fionna." My sister looked at me somewhat annoyed.

"How far along are you?"

"Well let's see. The zombie attack was… ten days ago?" Cake thought aloud. I blinked in surprise when I realized that I was still a vampire not that long ago. Marshall wasn't gone for that long either, but it felt like I hadn't seen him in eons. "Right. Ten days. PG says cats are pregnant for about 65 days and at the time I was already three weeks along so that means –"

"Cake that means you're, like, ready to pop!" I yelped. I was going to be an aunt soon! What were aunts supposed to do? Was all the stress getting to the kids? Were they going to be okay? Hundreds of questions rushed through my head.

"Not quite. I still have a few weeks." Cake reassured calmly.

"Geez. Who knows?"

"Daddy, Mom, Gunter, Sun, PG, Mo-Chro, Marshall…"

"So, pretty much everyone knew before me." I frowned. Cake shook her head quickly.

"I'm pretty sure Flame Prince doesn't know!" she said.

"He doesn't count." I stated and folded my arms grumpily.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner sweetie. It's bad luck to tell someone before a certain time and then you were so worried about Marshall Lee and Flint I didn't want you to worry about me too."

"Cake, I love you. You can tell me anything. I'll always make time for you." I patted her paw gently and she smiled warmly.

"I love you too. Now; about tier fifteen—"

"Mom already told me about it!" I rushed, trying to get out of the awkward situation. I grabbed the strap of my backpack, but Cake swatted my hand quickly and I dropped it.

"No. She only told you a little bit about it. It's my job to go a little more in-depth."

"Oh, glob." I groaned and slid down in my chair as my sister began to talk. _Glob, kill me now._

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><p><em><strong>Sorry it's so short. Sorry I was gone... Sorry for everything!<strong> **Thanks to all who favorited** (BaconNPancakes, kimachi, xStarPukex, serenamenimino18, Nati Hallow, Eclipsegirl4488, lycr, inutana, sharinganintheeyes, miscalculation, jelese111, Amisu, xXloveless19Xx, adventuresstime, SecretNinja14, Makalya-hime, ThatWhiteRabbit, love can be beautiful, Mikume-chan, jennyxxfasho, YOITE'sandCRONA's4EVER, frunkus, Sensray, mabello, polandATEmyTACOS, TayAlx, , ha3blondechick, rb2sixdett, queenvicky99, Lennaja, CeciiLlove)** and reviewed** (Fiolee123, PandaDee, Cabbage Squeezer, NintenClo, BringMeBelugas, insane677, Adventure time girl 123, bloodisred, catscatscatscats, BubblyMeTiffany, Jenythediva, adventuresstime, YOITE'SandCRONA'S4EVER, polandATEmyTACOS, patrat7777, rb2sixdett, Kinji Loves Socialism)!** I love you. It's true. Don't forget to favorite if you like it and review no matter what!**_


	28. To the Beach!

_MMH: Blahhh look at me finally posting. Yeah I'm not going to bore you with my life so just enjoy this chapter! Favorite if you like it and review no matter what!_

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><p>We had decided to search for Ashleigh in the caves along the beach first. The sun was blazing brightly in the sky and I stood a couple yards away from the entrance. Strong memories flashed through my mind and I took in a cautious breath. It felt surreal to be there despite that this was the third time I was there. PG, Flint, and Marshall had gone in minutes earlier and it took me till just then to realize that I was alone. I had to motivate myself before heading in after them.<p>

"Guys?" I called out. It was dark and there were a handful trails that they could have gone down. The cave was just as maze-like as I remembered.

"Over here!" Flint called out and I looked over to see a faint glow down one of the paths. I quickly caught up to the light and saw my three friends. Flame Prince had boldly taken the front of the line as the group's human torch with PG and then Marshall following behind.

"Found anything yet?" I asked. All shook their heads.

"Nope." Marshall said and frowned slightly. Smiling in reassurance I took his hand. Flint flinched as he glanced down to see our hands intertwined.

"It will take weeks to search this place by ourselves. It was a miracle you found the Ice Queen last time." He whined. PG sighed as he slung off the giant bag he brought and began to shuffle through its contents.

"I had figured that would be an issue. I'll call my banana guards." Gumball said and began to head back to the mouth of the cave. Marshall and Flint followed, but something pulled me to stay behind for a moment. I closed my eyes and listened to the vast void, waiting for any sort of hint that Ashleigh would have left. There was none. Something told me, even if it was just intuition that she was not there. I dragged my hand against the wall for guidance and cautiously followed Flint's glowing frame to the exit.

"What a gorgeous day!" Flame Prince beamed as he stood in the mouth of the cave. His mood was clearly better than moments earlier. In a way his constantly shifting temper was somewhat unsettling, but I pushed that thought away before I let it fester anymore. Gumball, who had been talking on his portable phone with his guards, came back to us and slung his bag on to the ground.

"It'll be about two hours before they can get here. Apparently _**some of them**_ thought it would be a good idea to have a day off while I went out searching with you guys. What mushbrains." He grumbled.

"What'll we do till then?" I asked and flopped on to the ground. PG smiled and began to pull various toys and items out of his bag. It seemed that there was an infinite amount of items in there. "Geez is that some magic bag or something?" my pink friend huffed before responding.

"Hardly. I invented this. It's a mass-expansion containment unit. It contains anything I need while weighing no more than a couple pounds."

"Cool! I need to get me one of those." I smiled and peeked into the bag, but saw nothing but darkness.

"Psh. It's not that great." Flint mumbled.

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><p>Marshall Lee sat under a giant red and white parasol arms folded as he watched the Flame jerk and Prince Gummy flirt with his girl. He hated the beach. Why had he even agreed to go to the beach in the first place? It's not like Ashleigh would be out during the day anyway so they wouldn't need to search for her. The only place they would need to search was the caves that decorated the coast. Correction,<em><strong> he<strong>_ was searching for her. Fionna, Gumball, and the Flame Prince searched the caves for four minutes and then ran out to the beach to play in the sun. This was not supposed to be a fun day out! This was a mission, damn it!

He should have just gone out on his own. Cake was practically a ticking time-bomb now that she was pregnant and Sun and Gunter had graciously decided to care for her while everyone else went out to "search".

Marshall looked to his side and saw the beach bag that Gumball had brought. It was filled to the brim with toys like plastic shovels and buckets. Grumpily, he knocked the bag over and continued to watch the trio as he hid in the shade and sulked.

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><p>I looked to Marshall, who was sulking under a giant umbrella that PG brought, and thought of what Cake had said before we left. <em>"Once you reach tier fifteen with him things will never be the same, baby."<em> Was getting that close with Marshall such a big deal? Would it really change my life that much?

"Do you want to learn to swim?" My pink friend's question had pulled me from my thought as he stuck out a hand in my direction and held a giant floaty tube with the other. I was caught off-guard that he had something like that when we were supposed to be searching, not having fun. _Had he planned this?_

"I dunno, PG. Perhaps that isn't the best idea. Aren't we supposed to be looking for Ashleigh?" I was very hesitant about staying here longer than necessary. First of all, I hated the beach because I hated ocean. Second of all, this was where I almost died. "Not the best idea"was an understatement. Not to mention that Marshall was all by himself underneath the beach umbrella and I felt really guilty about leaving him there with no one to talk to. I had just gotten him back and I wanted to spend some time with him.

"The banana guards will be here soon, but until then there isn't much we can do. Now come along and I shall teach you to swim." PG said determinately as he pulled off his dark pink shirt and began to unbutton his pants, leaving him only in his underwear. Now I was uncomfortable about swimming _**and**_ that my friend was almost naked. What Gumball said had been somewhat true; we had searched all the caves, but it hadn't been as thorough as I would've liked. _I'm pretty sure there was a crevice in the fourth cave that we missed…_

"But what about Ashleigh?" I persisted.

"She won't be out during the day. Swimming is important tool for life and you need to overcome your fear." I looked back to my boyfriend who was currently drawing doodles in the sand and I was tempted to say something, but my talk with Cake reappeared in my mind and I grimaced. _Facing my fear or hanging with my boyfriend after the most awkward conversation in the world? _Perhaps it was best if I kept away from Marshall for a little bit. Reluctantly I nodded my head and peeled off all my clothes except my mismatched white bra and blue polka dotted underwear. Feeling very exposed, I pulled off my hat and dropped it with the rest of my clothes. I begrudgingly let Gumball take my hand as he led me to my death— I mean the ocean.

"Hey where are you going Lady Fionna?" Flint's voice reached my ear and I pulled against PG's grip to look back at him. The Flame Prince had been shell searching. A concerned pout was on his face as he held a small periwinkle shell in his hand, like he was worried that I would never come back. The shell blackened as he held it firmly in his hand. However he quickly realized that I was semi-naked and began to blush furiously.

"I'm going to teach Fi how to swim. You can go hang out with Marshall until we're done." Gumball answered for me cheerily. I knew PG really was being sincere, but I could tell from the look on the Flame Prince's face that he certainly didn't take it that way.

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><p>Marshall looked up from his doodling in the sand since his sharp hearing caught footsteps heading towards him. Flint was skulking towards him as Fionna and Gummybutt began to walk towards the ocean in their underwear. Marshall blinked and shook his head in disbelief at that sight. What was his girlfriend doing in just her underwear?! He hadn't seen her in her underwear the whole time they were together due to Fi's bashfulness. How was it that PG could undress her in the couple seconds Marshall had looked away?<p>

"That Gumball douche is trying to keep me away from Lady Fionna by dragging her into the ocean. Can you believe it?" The Flame Prince whined as he plopped down next to Marshall under the umbrella, careful to keep far enough away to not burn him. Marshall could believe it. _Of course he doesn't trust you. You burned her freaking face_. The vampire thought bitterly. "I mean, you never stood a chance when we decided to go to the beach, but I thought I could just keep distracting her from getting in the water." The Flame Prince was totally unaware the Gumball wasn't in the running for Fionna's heart. In fact technically it was just Marshall who had a chance being Fionna's boyfriend and all, but in Flint's eyes it was him against the world.

"You ain't got anything to worry about, Fireball. She hates the ocean; she can't even swim." Marshall sighed and looked up to see the umbrella start to blacken from the heat above where FP sat.

"Well why is that dick trying to make her get in the water then?" The Flame Prince asked heatedly. Marshall looked towards the pair and he quickly realized that PG was just teaching Fi to swim. It was sweet that he was helping her overcome her fear. However, the irritation in FP's question question gave Marshall a rather wonderfully awful idea and a devious smirk appeared on his face. Why not make sure that hot-head knew he was out of the running for his girlfriend's heart as well as get back at Gumball for suggesting that they go to the beach? _Perfect._

I dunno… I think you should go over there and straighten him out. You and I would never do something like that make Fi uncomfortable. Why should he?" Marshall said coolly and monitored Flame Princes' response.

"You're right." Flint agreed. In the background Marshall heard his girl and PG talking about being embarrassed. What would they be embarrassed about? FP stood up and stomped over to the shoreline and folded his arms. "Hey! PINKY!"

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><p>"Hey PG can I ask you something?" I asked carefully as I leaned into my inflatable tube. Gumball had managed to get me to wade into the water little by little until my feet were no longer touching the bottom. My talk with Cake had left me feeling really awkward. Surely I wasn't the only person in Ooo to <em><strong>not<strong>_ know about tier fifteen, right?

"Sure. Fire away." He smiled as he waded beside me. I took a deep cautious breath.

"Do you know what tier fifteen is?" I whispered, cautious that my boyfriend couldn't hear.

"WHAT?!" Gumball screamed, his face growing bright red in panic and embarrassment. I looked back to the beach to see Marshall and Flint looking at us confused. I turned back to PG and ushered for him to lower his voice.

"Please tell me I'm not the only person who was out of the loop. You didn't know about it, right?" I continued to whisper, only this time I heard a bit of humiliation in my tone. PG finally found his voice after a couple seconds of speechlessness.

"Well…" he started and I groaned.

"Oh my glob, you do! It's just that Cake talked to me about it earlier and up till now I had no idea that was what happened. My mom said that they found me as a baby so I automatically thought that when two people were in love the Cosmic Owl just kinda dropped a baby into their lives, not that they'd get naked and—"

"Dear glob, Fi, just shut up for a second." PG pleaded cutting me off and turned away from me. I heard him take in a deep breath before turning back around. "Your parents never told you about… about tier fifteen?" he whispered the last part.

"No. I guess they thought Cake would deal with it when I was old enough."

"So I take it you and Marshall haven't…?"PG drifted off before finishing his sentence, but I knew exactly what he was talking about. Cake couldn't stop talking about it.

"Oh glob, no!" I squeaked. "Does Marshall know about it too?"

"I'd assume so since he's been around for thousands of years." PG shrugged and cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable talking about my and my boyfriend's personal life.

"This is so embarrassing." I said and nuzzled my head against the plastic tube, hiding my shame. Gumball placed a comforting hand on my arm and sighed.

"You have no reason to be embarrassed. It's just… glob, this is awkward." PG confessed. At first he said nothing and I knew he had no idea where to start. He was like a brother to me and the only thing more embarrassing than hearing "the talk" from a real sibling was hearing it from an honorary one. "Now Fi, you shouldn't feel pressured—"

"I don't feel pressured." I looked up quickly to see his surprised face. I had no idea why he would think I would be pressured. Why would I have been? Marshall was one of the sweetest, most patient people I've ever met. After all, he was crazy old so he had plenty of time to learn patience.

"Good! Listen, you should talk to Marshall about this when you're ready. Don't worry about it now." Gumball gave me a warm smile and I gave a small one back. I was pleased he didn't go as in depth as Cake did about tier fifteen._ I don't want to relieve __**that**__ nightmare_.

"Hey! PINKY!" Gumball and I turned towards the shout to see Flint standing on the beach looking very angry.

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><p>Flint's shouts quickly made us realize that something was wrong. Gumball took one of the handles of inner tube and dragged me to shore.<p>

"Is something wrong, friend?" PG asked warmly as we reached the shore. I dropped the tube and stepped out of it before quickly pulling my shirt and skirt back on. Even though one of my friends was upset I was still pretty shy.

"Yeah something's wrong! How dare you try to force Lady Fionna into something she doesn't want to do?!" Flint's flames flared around him and started towards my pink friend, but Gumball stepped back into the ocean to stop FP from getting any closer. I had to do something before things got out of hand.

"Flint! Stop it!" I screamed and threw the tube at him and it popped from the heat before it could reach him. Before things could escalate any further we heard movement and turned to see several dozen banana guards coming towards us.

"I'm sorry Fionna, but I need to command the banana guards. Perhaps we can finish your lesson when hindrances aren't in the way." PG snapped as he glared at Flint before picking up his clothes and heading towards the yellow mass of guards.

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><p>"What the glob is wrong with you?!" Fionna screamed at the Flame Prince who flinched back. He rubbed his arm apologetically.<p>

"Lady Fionna, I'm sorry—"

"I don't want to hear it. Why don't you just…" Fionna stopped herself when she heard how harsh she sounded. "… take a moment alone?" she finished. Marshall felt this deep ache in his cold chest as he saw the hurt look on the boy's face. Up until now Marshall only saw him as an opponent, but that's what he was: a boy. He watched him slowly turn around and head down the shoreline. FP plopped down on the sand and was looking towards the ocean. Could Marshall be feeling guilty about tricking the Flame Prince? It must have been difficult to not be able to even touch Fi without burning her. There was no way they could ever be together without a _**ton**_ of effort. But of course he could hang out with her in the day without covering every inch of his skin, unlike Marshall. The vampire decided that the Flame Prince had it worse.

"Can you believe him? How could he attack Gumball like that?"

"He thought PG was making you uncomfortable." The girl turned to Marshall quickly and eyed him suspiciously.

"Why would he think that?" Fionna interrogated. The vampire had to cover his butt fast in order to stay on her good side.

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><p>"Fi, it wasn't that hard to tell you were scared about going into the ocean. Sparky was just trying to protect you." Marshall shrugged smoothly and I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. Of <em><strong>course<strong>_ that's what happened. Poor Flint was just trying to help.

"I was fine about going into the ocean, really!" I started.

"Then what was bothering you?" He asked and I froze.

"Uh…"

"Is there something wrong?" Marshall looked at me concerned and rubbed my biceps in comfort. I could not tell him that I hadn't known about tier fifteen until early this morning.

"Cake's pregnant." I rushed out, trying to cover my ass.

"Well duh."

"Well I didn't know until this morning. I… I was upset that I was the last to know." I lied. While it was more of a half-truth, it did not bother me that much. Cake was just looking out for me. I looked towards Flint, who was still sulking near the shore. "I need to apologize, huh?"

"C'mon. Let's go." Marshall smirked and took my hand before we started towards Flint. _I guess I'll just have to deal with tier fifteen when I'm ready._

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><p><em>Yayayay! Look at me go. For those who were confused, in this chapter the point of view switched from Marshall to Fionna. Hopefully this means I'll be posting more often? Honestly I have no idea. Anywho... favorite and review, yo!<em>


	29. Awkward Situations

_MMH: I ain't even gonna lie to you guys. This has been on the bottom of my priority list and I'm very sorry. I am going to finish this story, but life has been kicking my ass. Anyways, feel free to favorite and review. no. matter. what. That shit keeps me going._

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><p>"Like this?" I asked, chewing my lip nervously. I was almost positive I wasn't doing this right.<p>

"Yeah you're doing great. Now; gently." My boyfriend said calmly. I looked to him hesitantly before moving my hand downward. The china clanked to the table loudly and several small chips of porcelain scattered onto the table. Marshall winced.

"Not like that! Geez, Fi. You're trying to put down the cup, not smash it like the Hulk." Marshall smirked. He, Sun, and I were sitting at the kitchen table having a mock tea party. It wasn't going very well.

"I have no idea what that means."

"Listen, babe. It's not that hard. You just have to be gentle."

"This is stupid." I grumbled and shifted in my chair as best as I could. Marshall had tied me to the chair with some rope so I "wouldn't slouch", but being tied down was making it exceedingly difficult to reach my silverware. I would have tried to move my chair forward, but last time I did that Sun scolded me saying that I was scuffing the floorboards. _I swear this is some kind of weird, vampiric torture_.

"You're the one who asked me for etiquette lessons." Marshall gently reminded me as he put his tea cup onto the table. Sun sat at the other end of the table and mimicked Marshall perfectly. He even had his pinky finger sticking out like some sort of formal salute. Despite the fact that he had been living underground for glob-knows how long, Sun was a surprisingly quick learner.

"It helps if you cushion the landing with your pinky; like this." Sun said. He began putting his cup down with the same speed that I had used but at last second his pinky stuck out and touched the table and his cup landed without a thud.

Yesterday's events with FP had thankfully gone off better than expected. He was very forgiving of me yelling at him and apologized profusely, though I was definitely the one at fault. It felt good that my actions were forgiven, but for some reason I was uncomfortable. He was probably just apologizing because he had a giant crush on me. Or was it because he knew it would keep him on my side?

"Do you think we can stop for the day? I think Cake would have a fit if I chipped any more teacups."

"She's right. Can I go play with Gunther now?" Sun asked excitedly. Though he was very eager to make Marshall proud, he was even more eager to have fun outside. Marshall sighed and raked his hand through his hair.

"Yeah, go on kiddo." Sun stood up and bolted out the door just as soon as Marshall stood up to untie me. "You know, strength is good, but it isn't any good when you can't control it." He said.

"I know." I said. Marshall could be such a nag at times. I knew he meant well, but it was frustrating not being fantastic at everything. "Maybe I could learn meditation or something."

"That could be something. Or just anything that helps you focus." He said as he picked up his bass which was leaning against the fridge and began to strum. He began to rise into the air and slowly floated into the living room. I followed suit. "It's different for everyone. I mean, it took me centuries to find mine."

"I guess." I was still distraught. Why couldn't everything be simple? It used to be, but I was still hung up on tier fifteen. It was a constant bug in my brain, burrowing into every thought that threatened to form. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. Now was as perfect a moment as any. "Hey Marshall…"

"Marshall Lee Abadeer!" Marshall's mother burst through the front door, her eyes flaming with rage. I glimpsed out the door and saw Sun and Gunther standing in the front yard looking inside, unsure if they wanted to come and watch the show. In an instant she was in front of Marshall and she snatched the bass from his hands, tossing it to the side.

"Hey! Be careful with that!" he yelled, but his mother did not seemed fazed.

"I can't believe you would leave the Nightosphere after I specifically told you not to. Actually, you know what? I can! You are so irresponsible and juvenile. You cannot simply abandon me **_and_** the Nightosphere when we need you. You aren't six hundred years old anymore, mister!" Finishing her rant, Marshall's mom finally took notice that her son was not alone and her demeanor changed entirely. A wide smile spread across her face, her fangs gleaming. "Fionna, darling. How are you?"

"Wait. I'm confused. You abandoned your mom?" I said.

"Well kind of. She encouraged me to stay… indefinitely." He said. I didn't know that last word, but the way he said it made it sound like he was never supposed to come back. Ever.

"Oh." I said, barely above a whisper.

"So what're you going to do, mom? Drag me back with you?" Marshall folded his arms and raised an eyebrow, curious to see what his mother would do.

"No. I have all my men patrolling all corners of the Nightosphere twenty-four seven. All the beings have been informed that if they are to kill her on sight, if she's still there that is. I just wanted to scold you for your reckless behavior."

"Figures." Marshall whispered and rolled his eyes.

"Don't mumble under your breath, boy." Marshall's mother said, her eyes tearing into his very soul. "It's rude." The two glared at each other and all I could do was stand awkwardly in the middle.

"Do you want some food? We have some strawberries in the fridge." I asked finally. Ms. Abadeer opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when there came a thumping down the stairs.

"Fionna! Marshall! I heard screaming and I came as quickly as I could. But you know how difficult waddling down the stairs can— who the hell are you?" Cake had stopped at the last step and looked at Marshall's mom with a combination of annoyance and uncertainty. Despite all the time spent with a vampire, she was still very hesitant of them.

"I'm Hilda Abadeer, Lady of Evil, ruler of the Nightosphere, and, I suppose most relevant to the situation, Marshall's mother. And you are?" Ms. Abadeer's hands were folded neatly at her waist as she inspected my sister.

"Cake."

"You're pregnant."

"Uh… yeah." Cake said. Marshall's mom turned to me, no longer interested in the conversation being held, and spoke quickly.

"Strawberries would be lovely, Fionna. Thank you."

"No no no," Marshall said. "You are not staying for a visit after you've scolded me like a child."

"Well you were acting like one. I only thought it appropriate."

I quickly retreated into the kitchen and pulled the fridge open. Stacks upon stacks of strawberries filled all the drawers and I grabbed a large bowl from one of the cabinets. I scooped handfuls into the bowl and I heard footsteps from behind me. _First tier fifteen and now Marshall's mom. Is anything else going to interrupt my life today?_

"Sorry about that. I was going to tell you about my mom asking me to stay sooner, but I didn't really think it would matter since I was going to come back no matter what." Marshall scratched his head. I looked at him and closed the fridge door, sighing.

"It's fine." My voice sounded weird. Clearly I was distracted and there was no point in hiding it from him.

"Then why are you acting weird?"

"I was going to ask you something before you're mom came, but perhaps now isn't the best time." I popped a strawberry into my mouth and tried to think of what I should say next.

"Tell me. If it's been bothering you I need to know."

"Should we have sex?" It had come out more awkwardly than I intended, but at least it was finally said. The concept intrigued me and I wanted to at least try it. Besides, Cake said that people who were in love did it and Marshall and I loved each other. It only made sense. _Oh glob. What if I'm bad at it?_

"What?" The look on Marshall's face clearly meant that I had caught him off-guard. _This probably seems like it's coming out of left field._

"Fionna? Where are those strawberries?" I was surprised to hear that my sister was asking for the fruit and not Marshall's mother. Must have been another one of her cravings.

"One sec," I called out to the living room before looking to Marshall again. "Should we?"

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><p><em>This was posted in a hurry so there's probably some errors. I really should get a beta reader. A beta reader who will keep me on track... Review andor favorite!_


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